JOHNEN, Sandra

JOHNEN, Sandra
Priv.-Doz. Dr. rer. nat.

 

Appointments

2001 – 2005          Research Scientist, Institute of Biotechnology 1, Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Prof. G. Sprenger
2006 – 2007 Assistant Lecturer, Department of Natural Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, Prof. D. Reinscheid
2007 – 2012 Postdoc Researcher, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Prof. G. Thumann
2012 – present                   Group Leader “Experimental Ophthalmology”, Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Prof. P. Walter

 

Academic Qualification and Education

2001          Diploma in Biology, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
2005 Doctor of Natural Sciences, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Germany
2020 Habilitation in Experimental Ophthalmology, RWTH Aachen University, Germany

 

Teaching Experience

  • Microbiology & Medical Microbiology (Practical Courses, Summer Term 2006 & Winter Term 2006/07), Department of Natural Sciences, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg
  • Experimental Ophthalmology (Lecture, Summer Term, since 2016), Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University
  • Molecular Therapies in Ophthalmology (Seminar, Summer Term, since 2016), Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University
  • How to Read a Paper (Seminar, Winter Term, since 2018/19), Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University
  • How to Write a Paper (Seminar, Winter Term, since 2017/18), Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University
  • Problem-Based Learning (Training, Winter & Summer Term, since 2018/19), Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University
  • M.Sc. Laboratory Animal Sciences (Seminar & Practical Course “Genotyping and PCR”, Summer Term, since 2018), International Academy gGmbH, RWTH Aachen University

Awards, Scholarships and Other Appointments

  • Advancement Award of the Freifrau-von-Nauendorf-Stiftung (2013)
  • Habilitation Grant, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University (2015 – 2018)
  • TANDEMplusMED Mentoring Program, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University (2016 – 2017)
  • Principal Investigator in the EU-funded FP7 Project “TargetAMD” (Grant No. 305134)
  • Reviewer for the following scientific journals: Journal of Ophthalmology, Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy, Experimental Eye Research
  • Member of the Commission of the International Doctoral Thesis of Laura Garcia Garcia, Faculty of Medicine, University of Navarra (Pamplona, Spain)

 

Research Topics

Non-viral, additive gene therapy for the treatment of degenerative eye diseases with focus on the establishment of ex vivo model systems for the identification of therapeutic factors and the transfer to medical implants.

 

Key Publications

  1. Kaempf S, Johnen S, Salz AK, Weinberger A, Walter P, Thumann G. Effects of bevacizumab (Avastin) on retinal cells in organotypic culture. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2008; 49: 3164-3171.
  2. Thumann G, Salz AK, Walter P, Johnen S. Preservation of photoreceptors in dystrophic RCS rats following allo- and xenotransplantation of IPE cells. Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol 2009; 247: 363-369.
  3. Thumann G, Stöcker M, Maltusch C, Salz AK, Barth S, Walter P, Johnen S. High efficiency non-viral transfection of retinal and iris pigment epithelial cells with pigment epithelium-derived factor. Gene Ther 2010; 17: 181-189.
  4. Johnen S, Izsvák Z, Stöcker M, Harmening N, Salz AK, Walter P, Thumann G. Sleeping Beauty transposon-mediated transfection of retinal and iris pigment epithelial cells. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 2012; 53: 4787-4796.
  5. Rösch S, Johnen S, Müller F, Pfarrer C, Walter P. Correlations between ERG, OCT, and Anatomical Findings in the rd10 Mouse. J Ophthalmol 2014; 2014: 874751.
  6. Waschkowski F, Hesse S, Rieck AC, Lohmann T, Brockmann C, Laube T, Bornfeld N, Thumann G, Walter P, Mokwa W, Johnen S, Roessler G. Development of very large electrode arrays for epiretinal stimulation (VLARS). Biomed Eng Online 2014; 13: 11.
  7. Johnen S, Djalali-Talab Y, Kazanskaya O, Möller T, Harmening N, Kropp M, Izsvák Z, Walter P, Thumann G. Antiangiogenic and Neurogenic Activities of Sleeping Beauty-Mediated PEDF-Transfected RPE Cells In Vitro and In Vivo. Biomed Res Int 2015; 2015: 863845.
  8. Johnen S, Meissner F, Krug M, Baltz T, Endler I, Mokwa W, Walter P. Properties of Retinal Precursor Cells Grown on Vertically Aligned Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes Generated for the Modification of Retinal Implant-Embedded Microelectrode Arrays. J Ophthalmol 2016; 2016: 2371021.
  9. Thumann G, Harmening N, Prat-Souteyrand C, Marie C, Pastor M, Sebe A, Miskey C, Hurst LD, Diarra S, Kropp M, Walter P, Scherman D, Ivics Z, Izsvak Z, Johnen S. Engineering of PEDF-Expressing Primary Pigment Epithelial Cells by the SB Transposon System Delivered by pFAR4 Plasmids. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2017; 6: 302-314.
  10. Pastor M*, Johnen S*, Harmening N, Quiviger M, Pailloux J, Kropp M, Walter P, Ivics Z, Izsvák Z, Thumann G, Scherman D, Marie C. The Antibiotic-free pFAR4 Vector Paired with the Sleeping Beauty Transposon System Mediates Efficient Transgene Delivery in Human Cells. Mol Ther Nucleic Acids 2018; 11: 57-67. (*shared first authorship)