Gold Nanorod-Mediated Near-Infrared Stimulation of Neurons in Retinal ExplantstextNeifert, Alexander RaycreatorSchell, JacquelynReaderLee, JonghwanAdvisorCutting, ShawnaReaderBrown University. Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnologysponsor2020v, 52 p.born digitalThesis (Sc. M.)--Brown University, 2020thesesVision loss and blindness continue to be leading causes of disability both nationally and globally. There has been progress in treating certain causes of blindness, such as uncontrolled diabetes and cataracts. However, retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, and Stargardt disease remain incurable. These diseases are unique in that primary cell loss occurs at the photoreceptor level, while underlying networks of bipolar, horizontal, amacrine and retinal ganglion cells generally survive. This remaining cell network provides a unique opportunity to restore vision through retinal prosthetic devices. Early electrode-based retinal prostheses have demonstrated the feasibility of this approach but have been limited in their resolution. The Lee Laboratory has been working to develop an alternative approach, which uses near-infrared light to stimulate gold nanoparticles adjacent to retinal ganglion cells. Such an approach has the potential to achieve a much higher resolution than current electrode methods. When compared to optogenetics-based approaches, the nanoparticle stimulation does not need to genetically alter cells through viral vectors. This thesis describes ex vivo studies of the promising approach. We used genetically engineered calcium indicators for clear visualization of retinal ganglion cell response. Initial investigation focused on identifying ideal voltage and pulse durations for stimulation. Improvements in perfusion and image analysis were undertaken to reduce movement artifact. Additional modifications were made to investigate the feasibility of a widefield of view so that pattern-based multicellular stimulations would be possible moving forward.retinal prostheticsgold nanorodnear infrared neural stimulationEnglishRPB2020072010.26300/xxk5-dh25In CopyrightCollection is open for research.