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| Science & Technology |
| Lab-grown eye cells offer fresh hope for millions at risk of blindness: Scientists say their breakthrough paves way for ‘continuous supply' of retinal tissue |
| 2026-06-30 |
| [DM] Scientists at Duke University have discovered a way of coaxing adult cells to transform into specialised blood vessels that are key for eye health. When injected into the eyes of mice with retinal diseases, the lab-grown 'retinal endothelial' cells integrated into damaged tissues and restored their function. The researchers say these cells could be the basis of new breakthroughs in treatments for vision loss and eye disease. These specialised blood vessel tissues keep the eye healthy, but their degeneration leads to diabetic retinopathy - a complication of diabetes and the leading cause of vision loss in the UK. Labs currently rely on cells harvested and grown from real patients - making samples for research expensive and hard to come by. I can see why. |
| Posted by:Skidmark |