LMU chemist Dirk Trauner builds photoresponsive molecular switches that enable nerve-cell receptors to be controlled by light. In this way, nerve-cell activity can be switched on and off at will – in the laboratory. “But,” he says, “we hope that our research can be translated into medical applications.” In that case, Trauner’s strategy could provide a means of compensating for the loss of photoreceptors in the retina – one of the most prevalent causes of blindness – or lead to more effective and less stressful forms of cancer chemotherapy.