iPSCs can repair damaged retina
For the first time, it was possible to significantly restore the retina with the help of induced stem cellsDmitry Tselikov, Compulenta
Scientists from the Schepens Eye Research Institute (USA) were the first to learn how to repair large areas of damaged retina and improve visual function using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) obtained from the skin.
The results of the study open up broad prospects for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases that affect millions.
Healthy retina of the left eye (photo by richardmasoner).
Diseases like retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration are the main cause of incurable blindness: the photoreceptors of the retina begin to die, and with them the ability of the eye to perceive light and transmit information about it to the brain degrades. Meanwhile, retinal cells, like other cells of the central nervous system, have limited opportunities for endogenous regeneration. "Regeneration of this precious tissue with the help of stem cells is our only hope in the treatment of such disorders," says study co—author Michael Young.
Skin cells were borrowed from the tails of red fluorescent mice. These animals were resorted to due to the fact that red tissue is easier to track in the eyes of ordinary mice.
After 33 days, the cells were ready for transplantation. At that time, there were no photoreceptors in the eyes of mice. After four to six weeks, the scientists noticed that the transplanted "red" progenitor cells settled in the corresponding area of the retina and began to integrate.
Repeated electroretinography showed a significant increase in electrical activity in the newly restored retinal tissue to about half of the norm. In addition, a test was carried out to get used to the dark — this made it possible to understand how well the integration of the new photoreceptors with the rest of the retina was. In the end, it turned out that light stimulation of photoreceptor cells allows detecting a signal in the lower neurons, which was not present in the eyes of blind rodents.
The results of the study are published in the journal PLoS ONE (Tucker et al., Transplantation of Adult Mouse iPS Cell-Derived Photoreceptor Precursors Restores Retinal Structure and Function in Degenerative Mice).
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