Retina made of nanoparticles
The first liquid retinal prosthesis is presented
Maria Azarova, Naked Science
Scientists from the Italian Institute of Technology (Genoa) have developed a revolutionary liquid retinal prosthesis. According to a study published yesterday in the journal Nature Nanotechnology (Maya-Vetencourt et al., Subretinally injected semiconductor polymer nanoparticles rescue vision in a rat model of retinal dystrophy), the prosthesis will help fight diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (hereditary, degenerative eye disease that causes severe visual impairment and often leads to blindness) and age-related macular degeneration.
The principle of introducing a new artificial liquid retina (drawings by Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, M. Bramini).
Artificial retina in liquid form imitates the properties of biomaterial and has a high spatial resolution. It consists of an aqueous component with photoactive polymer nanoparticles (their size does not exceed 350 nanometers), which, according to scientists, behave like "tiny photovoltaic cells" based on carbon and hydrogen. It is these nanoparticles that are designed to replace damaged photoreceptors (photosensitive sensory neurons of the retina).
The authors of the work conducted an experiment (so far at the preclinical stage, on rodents), as a result of which it turned out that natural light stimulation of nanoparticles causes activation of retinal neurons freed from degeneration, and simulates how healthy photoreceptors work. As a result, thanks to the liquid prosthesis, the rodents were restored to functional vision.
Photoactive nanoparticles (red) cover the membrane of the retinal neuron (blue nucleus).
Compared to other existing techniques and developments, the new liquid prosthesis is a fast, effective and less dangerous method of performing operations: it involves microinjecting a mass of nanoparticles directly under the retina, where they replace old photoreceptors. At the same time, the advantages of polymer prostheses remain, which have a natural sensitivity to light and do not require wearing glasses or other protection.
"Our results highlight the potential importance of nanomaterials in the development of second–generation retinal prostheses for the treatment of degenerative blindness and represent an important step forward," said Fabio Benfenati, one of the authors of the study. – The creation of a liquid artificial retinal implant has great potential. The inclusion of photoactive polymers in particles that are smaller than photoreceptors increases interaction with retinal neurons and makes it easy to cover the entire surface of the retina and scale photoactivation at the level of a single photoreceptor."
Now scientists plan to continue experiments and trials to confirm their results and proceed directly to the treatment of people.
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