stemceller's Journal: Eye cells could be harnessed to fight blindness: study

The

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)

reports researchers have discovered a type of cell in the eye that could be used to re-grow and repair damaged retinas: "A type of cell found in the eye has stem cell properties and could be used within the next decade to regrow damaged retinas and restore vision, British researchers say. Certain Muller glial cells can migrate to the retina and morph into different retinal cells, potentially rebuilding damaged tissue, according to the study, published in the journal Stem Cells. Retinal disease is one of the primary causes of blindness. Researchers were able to extract the cells from deceased adult donors and develop them in vitro into all the types of neurons found in the retina. In studies on rats with diseased retinas, the grafted cells travelled to the retina and took on the characteristics of surrounding neurons."