Crean retinal cells from human embryonic stem cells
Scientists created eight layers of retinal cells from human embryonic stem cells. This is the first structure of three-dimensional tissue made from stem cells. This result also marks the first step toward developing a retinal transplant to treat eye disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration, which affects millions of people around the world.
In previous studies on spinal cord injuries, the group originated a method by which embryonic stem cells (capable of becoming any cell type) may be directed to become specific cell types in a process called differentiation. The results of these studies have led the world’s first clinical trial using stem cell therapy based on acute injury of the spinal cord.
In this study, the team used the technique to create multiple differentiated cell types necessary for the retina. The biggest challenge was engineering it to mimic the early stages of development of the retina, the researchers needed to microscopic gradients of solutions that bathe the stem cells to initiate specific paths of differentiation. “The creation of this tissue complex is the first time is achieved in the field of stem cells.”
The retina is the inside back layer of the eye that records the images a person sees and sends them through the eye’s optic nerve to the brain. Diseases of the retina are particularly damaging to the eye. More than 10 million Americans suffer from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in people over 55 years. About 100,000 have retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive disease that usually presents genetic children.
What’s exciting new discovery? The creation of retinas from transplantable stem cells could help millions of people, and we are on track, the authors said. Researchers are testing the retinas early stage in animal models to learn how much they improve vision. A positive result would lead to human clinical trials.
