Imaging the Retina as a Model Organism in Drug Discovery: From Vision to Insight

Dr. Henri Leinonen heads the group at Leinonen Retina Laboratory, which focuses on retina physiology and pharmacology research at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) in Kuopio. In this blog post, we share how the UEF’s School of Pharmacy uses our APEXVIEW^™ APX100 benchtop fluorescence microscope to facilitate research with easy, fast imaging of retina samples.

Introduction to the Retina and its Role in Vision

The eye is one of our most complex organs. It consists of several key components, including the cornea, lens, iris, vitreous, and retina. Each part contributes to its ability to focus light and create clear images.

The retina in the back of the eye plays a critical role in vision by converting light into neural signals that the brain can interpret. The inner part of the retina (toward the lens) contains the ganglion cells, amacrine cells, bipolar cells, and horizontal cells. The outermost layer contains the rods and cones (photoreceptors), the pigment epithelium, and the choroid.

Light gets absorbed by the photoreceptors and translated into an electrical signal that’s transmitted to the inner neurons of the retina and then via optic nerve to the brain where a visual interpretation of our surroundings is created. The retina is arguably the most thoroughly studied neural system in the body.

An Eye for Discovery—Dr. Leinonen’s Retina Research

Dr. Henri Leinonen´s group at the University of Eastern Finland uses the retina as a model organism to study the molecular mechanisms of functional adaptation to sensory decline. This model also helps them discover novel drugs for neurodegenerative diseases, including retinal degeneration.

Dr. Leinonen has made significant contributions to retinal physiology and pharmacology. In 2020, Dr. Leinonen and coworkers published an article focusing on retinal adaptability to sensory defects. Since then, he has been working to understand the molecular pathways facilitating the homeostatic plasticity of the retina during degenerative disease. In 2024, he published a seminal study showing the premise of drug repurposing approaches to treat retinal degenerations. Leinonen Retina Laboratory´s aim is to develop the first mutation-agnostic therapy to inherited retinal dystrophies.

Facilitating Research with Easy, Fast Imaging of Retina Samples

In September 2024, Dr. Leinonen organized the acquisition of the APEXVIEW^™ APX100 benchtop fluorescence microscope to facilitate research at UEF’s School of Pharmacy. The School of Pharmacy is a teaching-heavy department with several hundreds of undergraduate students.

One of the primary reasons the school acquired the APX100 microscope was to take advantage of its ease of use. MSc thesis projects are relatively short-term, and the APX100 system enables the students to capture high-quality images with minimal training.

Benchtop Fluorescence Microscopy Empowers Research

The APX100 benchtop fluorescence microscope empowers researchers to acquire publication-quality images easily and quickly. Labs using a variety of observation methods and samples can take advantage of multiple imaging methods, including brightfield (and brightfield mono), fluorescence, phase contrast, and the newly patented gradient contrast.

The system also offers the possibility of using glass slides, petri dishes, flasks, and well plates to support a wide range of research imaging applications. Plus, no darkroom is needed—the APX100 has built-in shield and anti-vibration mechanisms to perform all imaging in an enclosed, compact system. Install it directly on a lab table and start imaging with minimal training.

To learn more about the APX100 microscope and how it can bring your research vision to life, reach out to us today for a demo.

A special thank you to Dr. Henri Leinonen for his contributions to this story.

References

1. Grossniklaus, H., Geisert, E., and Nickerson, J. 2015. “Introduction to the Retina.” Progress in Molecular Biology and Translational Science. Volume 134: 383–396.
2. Leinonen, H. et al. 2020. “Homeostatic Plasticity in the Retina is Associated with Maintenance of Night Vision During Retinal Degenerative Disease.” eLife.
3. Leinonen, H. et al. 2024. “A Combination Treatment Based on Drug Repurposing Demonstrates Mutation-Agnostic Efficacy in Pre-Clinical Retinopathy Models.” Nature Communications. 15(1): 5943.