Rabbits Gained Vision Thanks to New Developments in Stem Cell Transplantation
Scientists from all over the world have successfully restored vision in blind rabbits by way of stem cell transplantation.
The findings of the experiments, which were published in the science journal Nature this week, suggested that this latest advancement in regenerative science could pave way to clinical human trials of anterior eye transplantation to restore loss of damaged vision.
As detailed over at Cnet.com, a team composed of researchers from Cardiff University in the UK and Osaka University in Japan, are cultivating a variety of cells with one particular type intended to cure blindness in lab rabbits.
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Meanwhile, a second group, which is consisted of scientists from University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute and with the collaboration from experts in China, were working on generating human lens cells. These were being used to treat loss of sight among human infants with congenital cataracts.
The Cardiff-Osaka collaboration, in particular, used "induced pluripotent stem cells" to do the experiment.
Andrew Quantock, who works for Cardiff University and co-author of the study, explained that human stem cells can be reverse-engineered to take on different forms of cells like in the cornea, lens, and retina.
"We've been using human iPS cells -- which are induced pluripotent stem cells -- growing them in a 2D culture dish. Spontaneously the cells, after several weeks, created four zones on their own. Each zone has the molecular characteristics of a different part of the eye," Quantock said, according to Wired UK.
When these tissues were transplanted on the blind rabbits, they were able to repair the eyes and thus their vision were restored.
Meanwhile, the UCSD team focused on another type of cell to cure blindness in humans. The ones they used were "endogenous stem cells" which, as further detailed by Cnet, helps in the regeneration of lens cells of humans.
Stay tuned for more updates.
