Restoration of visual function by transplantation of optogenetically engineered photoreceptors
Publication year
2019Source
Nature Communications, 10, 1, (2019), pp. 4524ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

Display more detailsDisplay less details
Organization
Ophthalmology
Journal title
Nature Communications
Volume
vol. 10
Issue
iss. 1
Page start
p. 4524
Subject
Radboudumc 12: Sensory disorders DCMN: Donders Center for Medical NeuroscienceAbstract
A major challenge in the treatment of retinal degenerative diseases, with the transplantation of replacement photoreceptors, is the difficulty in inducing the grafted cells to grow and maintain light sensitive outer segments in the host retina, which depends on proper interaction with the underlying retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Here, for an RPE-independent treatment approach, we introduce a hyperpolarizing microbial opsin into photoreceptor precursors from newborn mice, and transplant them into blind mice lacking the photoreceptor layer. These optogenetically-transformed photoreceptors are light responsive and their transplantation leads to the recovery of visual function, as shown by ganglion cell recordings and behavioral tests. Subsequently, we generate cone photoreceptors from human induced pluripotent stem cells, expressing the chloride pump Jaws. After transplantation into blind mice, we observe light-driven responses at the photoreceptor and ganglion cell levels. These results demonstrate that structural and functional retinal repair is possible by combining stem cell therapy and optogenetics.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [227683]
- Electronic publications [107287]
- Faculty of Medical Sciences [86198]
- Open Access publications [76415]
Upload full text
Use your RU credentials (u/z-number and password) to log in with SURFconext to upload a file for processing by the repository team.