Members of the Leinonen Retina Laboratory attended Visionarium XXIII, the long-running Nordic meeting on vision science, held at the Tvärminne Zoological Station in Hanko, Finland. The station, founded in 1902 and surrounded by marine nature reserves, provided a uniquely atmospheric setting where researchers discussed vision science from molecules to behavior.
The program covered a wide range of themes, including the evolution of visual systems, single-photon perception, retinal adaptation, connectomics, sensory ecology, and photoreceptor biology. Several talks, particularly by Professor Eric Warrant, highlighted the diversity of visual strategies across species, from marine invertebrates to migrating moths.
Our group contributed to the scientific program as follows:
- PI Henri Leinonen presented new findings showing that female sex accelerates retinal degeneration in multiple RP models through enhanced lipid peroxidation, highlighting a key metabolic vulnerability.
- Doctoral candidate Anthi-Styliani Makiou introduced an inhibitory adrenergic strategy to reduce cellular stress signaling in RP, linking GPCR modulation to photoreceptor resilience.
- Postdoc Elina Mäkinen presented a new layer-specific omics workflow that separates the outer, middle, and inner retina to resolve cell-type–specific proteomic signatures.
- Undergradute student Eerik Lappalainen together with doctoral candidate Katri Vainionpää (not able to attend) prepared a poster on robust catecholaminergic remodeling in RP retinas, providing evidence for large-scale changes in dopaminergic and adrenergic pathways.
The meeting offered an excellent forum for scientific exchange in a relaxed environment: shared meals, sauna traditions, and discussions extending late into the night. We thank the organizers for maintaining this unique Nordic tradition and look forward to Visionarium 2026.