The prize recognizes excellence amongst young researchers from around the world and was awarded for the high-impact research in Molecular Medicine which she performed for her PhD in the laboratory of Botond Roska.
Dasha developed an optogenetic technology for engineering near-infrared vision which could aid patients with incomplete blindness. Science magazine publishes her essay about the prize-winning work (click here to access).
The Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists is awarded annually by Science magazine and SciLifeLab, a partnership of four Swedish Universities. (visit the award webpage)
“I am deeply honored to receive this award”, says Dasha Nelidova. “The prize will help us further accelerate the development of novel therapeutic approaches for restoring vision in blind patients.”
This is Dasha’s fourth accolade this year, having already won the Swiss OphthAward for the best experimental work, the PRO RETINA Germany & Retina Suisse basic research award, and an Ophthalmology Star Award.
The award also includes a week’s trip to Sweden featuring the prize ceremony and celebration, scientific talks and networking seminars. Due to COVID-19, the 2020 trip will take place at some stage next year.
Dasha is now a postdoctoral researcher at IOB. She is working to develop new translational technologies for treating retinal diseases that lead to blindness.
The Science & SciLifeLab Prize for Young Scientists is a global prize awarded to early-career scientists. It was established in 2013 for the best life science PhD thesis work completed in the past two years. It aims “to encourage our best and brightest to continue in their chosen fields of research. It is important to provide extra encouragement to young scientists as they begin their scientific careers”, states Science magazine on its prize website. The entry categories for the four 2020 prizes were Molecular Medicine, Cell and Molecular Biology, Ecology and Environment, Genomics, Proteomics and Systems Biology.