9/15/2026
PITTSBURGH - José-Alain Sahel, M.D., chair of ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the UPMC Vision Institute, received the António Champalimaud Vision Award on Sept. 15, 2026, in Lisbon, Portugal, sharing the honor with longtime collaborator Botond Roska, M.D., Ph.D., of the Institute for Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel. The award recognizes major advances in vision science, sight restoration and efforts to combat blindness and visual impairment around the world.
Key Takeaways
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José-Alain Sahel, M.D., chairman of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and director of the UPMC Vision Institute, received the António Champalimaud Vision Award on Sept. 15, 2026, in Lisbon, Portugal.
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Sahel shared the award with Botond Roska, M.D., Ph.D., of the Institute for Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel, for their work over more than two decades developing optogenetic therapies to restore vision in people with blindness and vision loss from retinal diseases.
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In 2021, Sahel, Roska and collaborators at Institut de la Vision in Paris, France, published a study in Nature Medicine reporting the first evidence that optogenetic therapy could partially restore vision in a blind patient, with research teams in Paris, London and Pittsburgh.
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The award includes 1 million euros in unrestricted funding for the recipients' future research, clinical practice or public health initiatives.
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Sahel and Roska will deliver the Champalimaud Award Lecture at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in San Diego in May 2027.
Sahel and Roska have worked together for more than two decades to advance optogenetics — a technology that uses light to control cell activity. Their research led to therapies that make certain retinal cells respond to light even after disease has destroyed the eye's photoreceptors.
What is optogenetic therapy and how does it work in the retina?
The retina is a thin layer of light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. It converts light into electrical signals that travel through the optic nerve to the brain.
Optogenetic therapy combines gene therapy, which reprograms cells in the retina, with specially engineered goggles that deliver light pulses to activate those cells. Together, they can help restorepartial vision even after a patient's photoreceptors are gone.
2021 study offered first published evidence optogenetic therapy could restore vision.
In 2021, Sahel, Roska and collaborators at the Institut de la Vision published a study in Nature Medicine. It provided the first published evidence that optogenetic therapy could partially restore vision in a blind patient. Research teams in Paris, London and Pittsburgh took part in the work, marking the first published clinical application of optogenetics.
Pitt research and UPMC clinical care connect through Sahel's dual leadership role.
Sahel holds two roles that link research to patient care: he chairs Pitt's Department of Ophthalmology and directs the UPMC Vision Institute. That dual position connects Pitt's academic ophthalmology research with UPMC's clinical care for patients with vision loss.
The Champalimaud Foundation, which supports medical research and improvements in patient care, presents the award. It is named for António Champalimaud, who lost his sight later in life. As one of the largest awards in vision research, the honor includes 1 million euros in unrestricted funding to support recipients' future research, clinical practice or public health initiatives.
Sahel and Roska will deliver the Champalimaud Award Lecture at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting in San Diego in May 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who won the 2026 António Champalimaud Vision Award?
A: José-Alain Sahel, M.D., of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and UPMC Vision Institute, and Botond Roska, M.D., Ph.D., of the Institute for Molecular and Clinical Ophthalmology Basel, won the award for their work on optogenetic therapy to restore vision.
Q: What is optogenetic therapy?
A: Optogenetic therapy combines gene therapy, which reprograms cells in the retina, with light-emitting goggles that activate those cells. This can help restore partial vision after disease has destroyed the eye's photoreceptors.
Q: How much funding comes with the António Champalimaud Vision Award?
A: The award includes 1 million euros in unrestricted funding for the recipients' future research, clinical practice or public health initiatives.
