By Yoon Min-sik The Korea Herald/Asia News Network Thursday, Mar 15, 2012

US scientists have succeeded in making early retina structures by using stem cells from blood, marking a breakthrough toward treating eye diseases, Science Daily reported Tuesday.

The new findings can help study degenerative retinal disorder such as retinitis pigmentosa, a prominent cause of blindness in children and young adults, according to a statement by the University of Wisconsin- Madison research team.

Last year, the group led by Doctor David Gamm was able to create the most primitive structure of a retina with photoreceptors by using embryonic stem cells and stem cells from human skin.

But the structures lacked the organization of a more mature retina.

This time, Gamm's team used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) derived from blood gathered from donors.

Induced pluripotent stem cell refer to a cell which can develop into any fetal or adult cell type but is free from ethnic debate because it does not require human ovum to produce.

Scientists extracted a type of blood cell called a T-lymphocyte, which is related to immunity, and reprogrammed the cells into iPS cells. Then they grew retina-like tissues from the iPS cells.

About 16 per cent of the initial retinal structures developed distinct layers, which is a significant advance, as retina forms layer in normal human development.

The arrangement of layers was similar to what is found in the back of the eye.

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Scientists produce retina structure from blood-derived cells

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