Regeneration of Cone Photoreceptors in the Human Retina

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.