[acb-diabetics] Lab-grown retina ups transplant hopes

[armando del gobbo]

Lab-grown retina ups transplant hopes

Richard Alleyne
Edmonton Journal , Apr. 7, 2011

Eye transplants to cure blindness are a step closer after Japanese
scientists managed to "grow" a retina in the laboratory for the first time.

Researchers were amazed when stem cells in a test tube organized themselves
spontaneously into a complex structure that resembled the developing
embryonic eye. The development could lead to whole retinas being cultured
and then transplanted, restoring sight in the blind and visually impaired.

The team from the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Japan,
first cultivated embryonic stem cells in a test tube and then added proteins
to trigger their development. They hoped that they would form a recognizable
organ but were stunned when over 10 days they clustered together and began
to grow the "optical cup" of a retina.

Tests showed that the cells were functioning normally and were capable of
communicating with each other. The research was done on mouse eyes, but
there is no reason why a similar technique would not work on humans, said
the experts.

They hope within 10 years to be able to start clinical trials on retina
implants.

"This is an absolutely stunning achievement," said Professor Robin Ali, an
ophthalmologist at University College London. "It is a landmark not just for
the retina but for regenerative medicine as a whole."

The retina is the part of the eye where nerve cells convert light into
electrical and chemical signals that are sent to the brain down the optic
nerve.

If it is not working, then the eye is useless.

Yoshiki Sasai, the lead author of the study, said: "What we've been able to
do in this study is resolve a nearly century-old problem in embryology, by
showing that retinal precursors have the inherent ability to give rise to
the complex structure of the optic cup."

The research was published in the journal Nature.

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