Dr. Sarah Barbara Zwingelberg, is awarded Belmonte Fellowship for research on the neurobiology of the ocular surface

Sarah Zwingelberg, M.D., ophthalmologist at the Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany, is awarded the Belmonte fellowship for her application about “Exploring the Processes of Ocular Surface Neurobiology in Neurotrophic Keratopathy for High-Risk Keratoplasty.”
The Belmonte Fellowship supports research on ocular surface neurobiology in conjunction with a research stay at the Instituto de Neurociencias of the University of Alicante, among others, under the initial direction of Prof. Carlos Belmonte. The aim of this research stay is to further investigate neurobiological issues of the cornea, amongst others, in the institution in Alicante and then at the University Hospital of Cologne.
Dr. Zwingelberg will use this fellowship to further increase her expertise in the field of neurobiological diseases of the ocular surface, especially the corneal nerves. The aim of the research project is, amongst others, to investigate the development of neurotrophic keratopathy and its therapy in the context of laser therapeutic procedures on the cornea in more detail in laboratory and animal studies.