Journal
/
/
/
Author Spotlight: Advancing Vision Restoration - Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Retinal Diseases
JoVE Journal
Medicine
A subscription to JoVE is required to view this content.  Sign in or start your free trial.
JoVE Journal Medicine
Sub-Retinal Delivery of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Derived Photoreceptor Progenitors in rd10 Mice

Author Spotlight: Advancing Vision Restoration - Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Retinal Diseases

647 Views

01:20 min

October 06, 2023

DOI:

01:20 min
October 06, 2023

4 Views
, , ,

Transcript

Automatically generated

My research focuses on the development of stem cell based therapy for advanced stages of retinal diseases that cause photoreceptor degeneration. The goal of our research is to replace the loss of photoreceptors in patients with clinically safe and functional photoreceptor progenitors with the aim of improving their visual acuity or even restoring their vision. The main preclinical model is mice, but their small sized eyeball make it challenging to inject materials, especially under the retina.

Developing the skill to perform successful subretinal injections requires patience and perseverance. We have successfully developed a laminin base for the receptor differentiation method that is able to generate photoreceptor progenitors in 32 days. The subretinal transplantations of this photoreceptor progenitors cell suspensions in the rodents resulted in synaptic connectivity between the holes and graft in the eyes.

This has led to partial visual restoration. Our approach is simple, the right visualization helps the surgeon handle the needle to the area of interest.

Read Article