Falling Walls Falling Walls Science Summit 2022

Falling Walls Breakthrough Conversation with José-Alain Sahel

José-Alain Sahel

Life Sciences

Jóse-Alain Sahel elaborated one patient’s journey from having sight, losing it and slowly regaining it after 20 years. He was sharing insights on the process that involves an innovative use of gene therapy, stimulating goggles and lots of training to restore vision for retinal regression.

José-Alain Sahel

University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine / Institut de la Vision (Sorbonne Université/Inserm/CNRS)

Dr. José-Alain Sahel is a clinician-scientist who developed a groundbreaking neuroprotective strategy to rescue central vision and first-in-man studies with electronic retinal implants, gene and cell therapies to restore vision in patients with blinding retinal dystrophies. He led the clinical trial documenting for the first time partial visual recovery after optogenetic therapy in a blind patient.

Zulfikar Abbany

Deutsche Welle

Zulfikar Abbany is a Senior Science Editor and multimedia journalist for Germany’s international broadcaster, DW (Deutsche Welle). He has produced and presented events for the European XFEL, DESY and World Health Summit in Germany, DATA.SPACE in Glasgow and spoken at the Battle of Ideas in London. Before that he was in news and current affairs with Australia Network television and Radio Australia for the Asia Pacific region. He has written for New Scientist, The Independent, The Observer, Sydney Morning Herald and The (Melbourne) Age newspapers.