A researcher from Quebec gives hope to patients with macular degeneration

An important breakthrough in eye regeneration has been achieved at the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center. For the first time, a research team, led by Dr. Gilbert Bernier, has recreated photoreceptors by using human embryonic stem cells. Even more surprising, the scientists revealed that, once injected in animal models, these cells migrated directly into the retina. These results have been published on October 6th 2015 in Development and were partly financed by the Stem Cell Network, an important partner of CellCAN.

The cells that see

Cones are a type of photoreceptors that are damaged during the progression of multiple ocular diseases, such as macular degeneration. The destruction of these cells results in an irreversible loss of sight in patients. Thanks to a protein identified by the Bernier group, branded COCO, researchers can now recreate these cells directly in lab.

“Our method can differentiate 80 % of our stem cells into cones, explains Dr. Bernier. In only 45 days, our cones spontaneously form an organised retinal tissue 150 microns thick (one tenth of a hair). This has never been achieved before.

First step towards humans

While there is still a lot of work to be done before this work is applicable to humans, it is still an enormous step forward in the battle against blindness. Even if stem cell differentiation into cones is now easily achievable, Dr. Bernier specifies that curing a disease such as macular degeneration would require the production of various layers of ocular tissue linking all cell types found in the retina, a much more complicated feat. Before human application, his method will still be used to replicate photoreceptors that will be used to test various treatments on ocular diseases.

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