Breakthrough discovery: Botond Roska and the MitoCatch technology

The event centered on Botond Roska, Director of the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB) and the inaugural Fellow of the Frontiers Foundation. As a globally recognized, Wolf Prize–winning neurobiologist, his pioneering gene therapy developments are opening new therapeutic possibilities for people living with severe vision loss or blindness.

Roska and his team developed a technology called MitoCatch that delivers healthy mitochondria – the parts of cells responsible for energy production – directly into diseased cells. This targeted approach could help treat conditions that are currently difficult to treat, such as Parkinson's disease, optic nerve atrophy, and certain types of heart failure.

Among the participants of the discussion was Anna Anoir Abbas, a member of the Frontiers team. As a neurobiological researcher, she contributed her expertise to the conversation. Her involvement perfectly illustrates Frontiers’ mission: to bring together emerging researchers and world-renowned scientists in a shared space.