Distinguished Speaker Series Home Distinguished Speaker Series Ophthalmology Research Seminar: Distinguished Speaker Series Since our foundation, the BCTVR, in collaboration with the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, has hosted this esteemed series, highlighting cutting-edge developments in ophthalmology research. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, at a time when most academic seminars were canceled, we swiftly adapted and transformed our series to a virtual format via Zoom, ensuring continuity and even expanding our reach. Today, the series has evolved to feature expert lectures on a diverse array of topics, including Ophthalmology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Neurobiology, Imaging, Computational Sciences, and Novel Ophthalmic Treatments. The seminar series has also grown in scope, drawing an international audience of 80-300 attendees each week, connecting scholars and professionals from across the U.S. and around the world. We invite you to join us every Friday from 8:30 am–10:00 am, both in person and online via Zoom, throughout the academic year. For more information and Zoom details, email:Anna Kiker, MBA, CRA or Grazyna Palczewska, PhD To stay updated with the latest details,Subscribe to our emails Speakers Nov 20, 2026 Probing Neural Plasticity to Novel Color Perception In the Human Brain Ren Ng, PhD, Associate Professor, University of California, Berkeley Profile VIEW EVENT DETAILS Nov 13, 2026 Bestrophins: structure, function and diseases Tingting Yang, PhD, Associate Professor, Columbia University Profile VIEW EVENT DETAILS Nov 06, 2026 Synthetic Biology for Ophthalmic Gene Therapy Lucie Y. Guo, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Ophthalmology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Profile VIEW EVENT DETAILS Oct 30, 2026 Understanding the pathomechanisms underlying the human Usher syndrome in the eye – roadmaps for therapies Univ.-Prof. Dr. Uwe Wolfrum, Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany Profile VIEW EVENT DETAILS Oct 23, 2026 Developing Bespoke Genome Editing Medicines & Beyond Benjamin P. Kleinstiver, PhD, Kayden-Lambert MGH Research Scholar Associate Investigator, Center for Genomic Medicine & Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital Associate Professor, Department of Pathology, Harvard Medical School Profile VIEW EVENT DETAILS Oct 16, 2026 Functional roles of glycosylated RNAs Ryan Alexander Flynn, MD, PhD, Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard University Profile VIEW EVENT DETAILS Oct 09, 2026 Engineering TRP-Based Optogenetics for Opsin-Free Retinal Stimulation and Vision Restoration Dr. Guilherme Testa Silva, Head of the Physiological Technologies group at the Institute of Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel (IOB), Switzerland Profile VIEW EVENT DETAILS Oct 02, 2026 The role of photoreceptor metabolism in age-related macular degeneration Claudio Punzo, PhD, Associate Professor Ophthalmology, Vice Chair of Research Department of Ophthalmology, Neurobiology & Gene Therapy Center, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School (UMMS) Profile VIEW EVENT DETAILS Sep 25, 2026 Regulation of retinal membrane guanylyl cyclase in photoreceptor function, congenital diseases and potential approaches to gene therapy Alexander Dizhoor, PhD, Hafter Chair Research Professor, Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Professor for the Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, College of Medicine, Drexel University Profile VIEW EVENT DETAILS Sep 18, 2026 Beyond night vision: the expanding role of rod photoreceptors in bright light Matteo Rizzi, PhD, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK Profile VIEW EVENT DETAILS Pagination Current page 1 Page 2 Next page ›› Last page Last » Previously Recorded Seminars If you missed some of our Distinguished Speaker Seminars, no worries! You can watch previously recorded seminars. Previously Recorded Distinguished Speaker Seminars