10 million euros for an optogenetic revolution

It is a long-standing dream of modern biology to attain the ability to control cellular activity remotely and non-invasively – and light is a perfect medium for this. The SOL (Switchable rhodOpsins in Life Sciences) research project is designed to make this dream come true. For already 15 years, optogenetics has been revolutionizing neurosciences. The technology enables the contol of signaling between nerve cells by light.

The ERC-awarded project will now take the technology of optogenetics a significant step further. Thus, in the future, every cell in the body will be precisely controllable by light. This highly complex project requires expertise from various disciplines. The interdisciplinary team consists of neurophysiologist Sonja Kleinlogel at the University of Bern, structural biologist Gebhard Schertler at the PSI in Villigen, biophysicist Peter Hegemann at the Humboldt Universität of Berlin and Rob Lucas, neurobiologist at the University of Manchester, UK. Their SOL project is one of 441 international projects selected in a competitive process and is now funded by the European Research Council with the maximum of 10 million euros.

Wide range of applications

The activity of every cell in the human body is influenced by so-called G-protein-coupled receptors, or in brief GPCRs. GPCRs are involved in almost all physiological processes, such as the process of learning, hormone regulation or the development of diseases such as cancer, to name just a few. Therefore they are of exremely high interest in reseach and also constitute primary pharmaceutical drug targets.

“Over the next six years, we will develop a toolbox of light-controlled GPCRs, so-called OptoGPCRs, which are completely controllable in time and space and are based on light-switchable proteins, so-called opsins,” explains Sonja Kleinogel. OptoGPCRs will make it possible to precisely control functions and processes in all cells of our body by allowing them to be switched on and off at will with different colored light.

“This gives our project a realistic chance of triggering a “second optogenetic revolution” and revolutionizing approaches in research and therapy,” says Kleinlogel. Kleinlogel is a pioneer in optogenetic gene therapy and brings a wealth of experience in how research ideas can be translated into clinical applications and brought into the industrial sector. Gebhard Schertler from the Paul Scherrer Institute is a leading structural biologist and pioneer in GPCR and opsin protein structures. Peter Hegemann from the Humboldt Universität of Berlin is a co-founder of the optogenetics technology and a leading expert in the biophysical characterization of opsins. While Rob Lucas from the University of Manchester made a name by the functional characterization of novel opsins.

The spectrum of possible applications covers all physiological processes from cancer to endocrinology, immunology, and reproduction. The main focus within this research project is the investigation of mechanisms of pain, heart disease, anxiety, and the effect of light on our general well-being.

Origin in Bern

SOL is based on a prototype of a light-sensitive OptoGPCR (Opto-mGluR6), which was developed at the University of Bern and restored vision in blind mice. To further develop this prototype to clinical product maturity, the Novartis Venture Fund (NVF) and NanoDimension (ND) Venture entered the University of Bern spin-off, Arctos Medical AG, in 2019 with 8 million CHF in venture capital. “I am of course very pleased that the ERC decided to support research on OptoGPCRs, as the prototype was developed in my laboratory in Bern,” says Kleinlogel very pleased.