Map the Global LHON Research Network
Identify and map researchers actively working on LHON, their institutions, focus areas, and potential collaboration opportunities.
Background
LHON research is spread across institutions worldwide, with key groups in Cambridge (UK), Melbourne (Australia), Seoul (South Korea), and various universities in the US and Europe. Key researchers include Patrick Yu-Wai-Man (Cambridge), Patrick Chinnery (Cambridge), Alex Hewitt (CERA Australia), and teams at KU Medicine/Seoul National University who recently demonstrated breakthrough gene-editing treatment.
What Needs to Be Done
Create a comprehensive map of the global LHON research landscape:
- Active researchers - Find everyone currently publishing on LHON (2023-2026)
- Research focus areas - Categorize by approach: gene therapy, neuroprotection, mitochondrial editing, stem cells, etc.
- Institutional clusters - Which universities and hospitals have LHON research programs?
- Collaboration gaps - Identify researchers working on complementary approaches who aren’t yet collaborating
- Emerging researchers - PhD students and postdocs who are the future of LHON research
Why This Matters
Scientific breakthroughs often happen at the intersection of different research approaches. By mapping the entire LHON research network, we can identify collaboration opportunities that could accelerate the path to a cure.
How to Submit
Submit your results by opening a GitHub issue with the label connect-researchers. Include your structured researcher database and network analysis.
Success Criteria
- Identify at least 20 active LHON researchers worldwide
- Each entry includes: name, institution, country, research focus, recent publications (last 3 years), profile link
- Identify potential collaboration opportunities between researchers
- Map research clusters (institutions with multiple LHON researchers)
- Results formatted as structured data with relationship mapping