In April 2026, Henri Leinonen participated in two inspiring scientific events that highlighted both the strength of Finnish biosciences and the international momentum in retinal degeneration research.
On April 16th, Henri gave an invited talk at the BioBio Society’s 80th Anniversary Symposium, held as part of ChemBio convention in Helsinki. The symposium, titled Finnish Biosciences from Roots to Peaks – Celebrating 80 years of BioBio society, brought together researchers across biosciences to celebrate the society’s long history and future directions. Henri’s talk, “Drug repurposing and systems pharmacology: Case retinal dystrophies,” presented the Leinonen Retina Laboratory’s work on developing mutation-agnostic treatment strategies for inherited retinal degenerations.
It was a particular honor to speak in a programme that also featured Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2022, Professor Morten Meldal, who delivered a lecture on molecular click chemistry and its applications. The event was also personally meaningful, as Henri was elected to the Board of the Societas biochemica, biophysica et microbiologica Fenniae, in short, The BioBio Society.
Immediately after the BioBio symposium, Henri travelled to Germany to attend the Potsdam Meeting 2026 – 20th International Retinal Research Colloquium, held on April 17–18 in Potsdam. The meeting gathered internationally recognized experts in retinal degeneration under the theme “Lessons from the past to shape the future of retina research and patient care.” The programme covered key topics including photoreceptors, retinal pigment epithelium dysfunction, non-neuronal cell types, immune mechanisms, genetic diagnostics, and emerging therapeutic strategies.
At the Potsdam Meeting, Henri presented a poster titled “Second messenger regulation as a mutation-agnostic therapeutic strategy for retinal degeneration.” The poster focused on the laboratory’s ongoing work on intracellular signaling pathways, including cAMP and calcium-related mechanisms, as potential therapeutic targets across genetically diverse retinal degenerative diseases.
Together, these two events provided an excellent opportunity to present the lab’s recent research, strengthen scientific networks, and discuss future directions for translational retinal therapy development. The Leinonen Retina Laboratory warmly thanks the organizers of both meetings for the opportunity to contribute to these important scientific discussions.
Picture credit: Jette Lengefeld