A new study indicates lab-grown retinas may help patients with eye injuries regain vision.
Over a decade ago, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison developed a way to grow organized clusters of cells, organoids, that resemble the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. They coaxed human skin cells reprogrammed to act as stem cells to develop into layers of several types of retinal cells that sense light and ultimately transmit what we see to the brain.
Cells in the retina and brain communicate across synapses, tiny gaps at the tips of their cords. To confirm that their lab-grown retinal cells have the capacity to replace diseased cells and carry sensory information like healthy ones, the researchers needed to show that they could make synapses.
Read more about the methods and findings by clicking here.