March 28, 2024

AndronETalksNews

AndronETalksNews

Lab-grown retinal eye cells make successful connections, open door for clinical trials to treat blindness

University of Wisconsin-Madison News

January 4, 2023 

By Chris Barncard 

Retinal cells grown from stem cells can reach out and connect with neighbors, according to a new study, completing a “handshake” that may show the cells are ready for trials in humans with degenerative eye disorders.

Over a decade ago, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison developed a way to grow organized clusters of cells, called 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.

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