ABOVE: Different cell types within the retina of the eye
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Researchers report they have used retinal cone photoreceptors derived from human stem cells to restore vision in mice with advanced retinal degeneration. They are now designing a clinical trial to test whether transplanting healthy cone photoreceptors into people with age-related macular degeneration will improve their vision.
Other studies have transplanted retinal cells derived from stem cells into patients with macular degeneration, but this latest work in mice transplanted cone photoreceptors rather than retinal pigment epithelium.
“The reason we focus on cones is because they’re the most important for human vision,” says Robin Ali, who studies cell and gene therapy at King’s College London and led the study, which appeared April 20 in Cell Reports. Ali contrasts the role of cones, which enable us to recognize colors, discern other people’s faces, and see in a brightly lit room, to ...
