Replicating the First Step of Human Vision in a Dish for Designing Effective Therapies to Cure Blindness.

At a Glance

Death of photoreceptors in the retina is the ultimate cause of blindness in various diseases, including macular degeneration, and there are no treatment options available for this or similar retinal degenerative diseases. A new project led by Raunak Sinha, PhD, assistant professor, Department of Neuroscience and collaborator David Gamm, MD, PhD, professor, Department of Ophthalmology will launch novel research into retinal organoids, derived from human stem cells, as a potential replacement for damaged photoreceptors. This team’s findings have the potential to inform effective cures for blindness, and improve the vision, quality of life and independence of those suffering from macular degeneration and other blinding disorders.