A new research by scientists at the University of Toronto has shown that human retinal stem cells transplanted into the eyes of mice and chicks are capable of successful regeneration.
"We transplanted the cells early in the animals' development when all the nutrients and signals they needed for differentiation were still there," lead author Brenda Coles, a University of Toronto laboratory technician, was quoted as saying.
"When their eyes fully developed, the human cells survived, migrated into the sensory part of the eye and formed the correct cells," she added.
The research has implications for future treatment of degenerative eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration.
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