An eye patch for retinal cell regeneration was invented

Scientists have developed a synthetic patch filled with photoreceptor cells that helps repair damaged retina.

Retinal degradation due to the death of sensitive tocell light is one of the main causes of vision loss. Previously, researchers have already managed to grow photoreceptors from stem cells in the laboratory. Despite the breakthrough, the issue of efficiently delivering replacement tissue to the right place remained open.

Now a team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison has presentedsolution in the form of an implantable patch.It is a very thin frame with cells filled with young photoreceptor cells, like an ice cube tray. At the bottom of each cell is a circular hole through which lab-grown cells eventually connect to the retina.

The implant frame is made of biocompatiblematerial that has a fairly high strength and is naturally broken down in the body in two months. Such a patch can hold up to 300 thousand cells to restore vision.

The picture shows the cells of the scaffold filled with photoreceptor cells.

According to the team, the development is almost ready for testing on large animals. In the future, scientists plan to improve the shape of the implant and the technology of its manufacture.

Earlier, we also reported on the creation of a bionic eye that mimics the functions of the present and is charged by light.

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