A breakthrough stem cell experiment just brought us a step closer to lab-grown human eyeballs and restoring vision to the blind, according to new research published in the journal Nature.
A team of biologists discovered a new way to grow parts of the retina, cornea and lenses of eyeballs. In the experiment, the researchers restored vision to blinded rabbits by growing new corneas from stem cells. There’s just one big challenge ahead.
It's important to note the study was done only in rabbits, and translating this technique to humans will be a challenge. Additionally, getting the technique to work for the whole eyeball won't be easy.
Paper:http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature17000.html
PR:http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/215659-eye-tissue-grown-in-lab
Video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rw1odkI0Nw8
Source:http://mic.com/articles/137656/lab-grown-eyeballs-could-restore-vision-to-the-blind#.60WtUsqal
Corina Marinescu
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