Mini retina made of stem cells

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, working under the guidance of Dr. Valeria Canto-Soler (M. Valeria Canto-Soler), have created in laboratory conditions a miniature model of the retina of the human eye, capable of responding to light.

Photoreceptors-rods (green) as part of the mini-retina,
grown from human iPSCs under laboratory conditions.

The authors used human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) as the starting material for creating a functioning model of the retina, the differentiation of which they launched in the right direction using a simple technique of their own development. After that, they observed the gradual formation of retinal tissue, the stages of which exactly corresponded to the stages of intrauterine development of the photosensitive organ.

Retinal tissue has a very complex three-dimensional structure consisting of seven main types of cells, including six types of neurons that form layers that perceive and process light signals. The authors claim that in the system they developed, stem cells reproduced this structure almost independently.

When the level of organization of the artificial retina corresponded to 28 weeks of intrauterine development, scientists tested the ability of its practically mature photoreceptors to register and transform light waves into visual signals. To do this, they inserted electrodes into the photoreceptor cell and recorded the biochemical reaction of the cell to light pulses. The registered reaction was similar to what happens in human photoreceptors.

The authors believe that the technology they have developed will make it possible to create miniature models of the retina from the cells of people suffering from diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. This will allow you to better understand the causes of the development of diseases, as well as to select individual treatment protocols. In the distant future, fragments of the artificial retina can be used to replace the damaged eye tissue as a result of illness or injury.

Article by Xiufeng Zhong et al. Generation of three-dimensional retinal tissue with functional photoreceptors from human iPSCs is published in the journal Nature Communications.

Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on Johns Hopkins Medicine:
Researchers Use Human Stem Cells to Create Light-Sensitive Retina in a Dish.

11.06.2014