University of Wisconsin scientists unveiled groundbreaking research Tuesday which led to their ability to create eye structures from human stem cells.
After a year of research in the UW Waisman Center, ophthalmology professor David Gamm and his team were able to produce chemical retinal structures from stem cells that were derived from human blood. The research produced findings that can be used to treat patients with retinal disorders associated with blindness, Gamm said.
These findings will help scientists study degenerative diseases of the retina, such as retinitis pigmentosa, a prominent cause of blindness in children and young adults, according to a UW statement.
Gamm said the research findings were based on the ability to study stem cell composition.
“Our lab was interested in understanding the basic science behind how to take an undifferentiated stem cell and how to systematically get it to become something as specialized as a photoreceptor cell in the retina,” Gamm said.
Lead study author Joseph Phillips said in an email to The Badger Herald the research team was able to discover this by observing collections of cells from early retinal structures.
The research showed for the first time that retinal cells can be derived from blood, Gamm said. Past research in this area had only been successful by using the patient’s skin, which is more difficult to obtain than taking a blood sample, he added.
Gamm said the study also provided revolutionary evidence that human cells can be used to build primitive tissues and assemble themselves into layers, much like what is seen in the back of the eye.
According to Phillips, it is unclear whether the retinal structures will behave similarly to a real human eye. He added the human retina is highly organized and consists of several layers.
“The functions of the retina-like structures have not been directly tested yet, although our work suggests that some individual neurons may be functional,” Phillips said. “Further tests are required to determine how much these structures behave like a real human retina.”
Phillips said the next step in the lab for eye research is to uncover underlying mechanisms so that scientists can direct the process and increase their efficiency.
This technology will hopefully lead to the creation of complex retinal tissues from stem cells to help people who were previously blind see in the future, Gamm said.
According to Gamm, the lab is also interested in building better models of retinas in a dish by working with blood samples of the patients.
Gamm said when a patient provides a blood sample, it is developed into a stem cell and then engineered into retinal tissue. The method is advantageous, he added, because scientists can use the individual’s sample as a model of that particular patient’s retina in a dish to test its response to drugs, understand how the disease affects that retina and ultimately find a way to stop it.
Gamm said he ultimately hopes to use the results found by his team to help families and children combat serious eye diseases in the future.
