Regeneration of Cone Photoreceptors in the Human Retina
Principal Investigator
Mentors
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Thomas Reh, PhD
Project Goals
This project aims to reprogram Müller glia, a support cell in the retina, into functional cone photoreceptors to replace those that progressively degenerate in macular degeneration.
Project Summary
The human retina cannot regenerate after diseases like age-related macular degeneration, which often leads to blindness. However, a few species including fish can regenerate new retinal cells that eventually restore visual function. The regenerative process is driven by the Müller glia, a support cell in the retina. Researchers are now partially able to recapitulate this phenomenon in the human retina. Using this new strategy, they plan to test the regenerative capacity of a specific zone of the human retina: the macula. Dr. Wohlschlegel and her team next propose to test different factors to specifically stimulate cone photoreceptor regeneration from Müller glia.
Publications
First published on: August 02, 2024
Last modified on: September 11, 2024