Once that's done, other capsules would break apart and release a growth factor that would encourage cultured retinal progenitor cells on top of the fabric to create new, light-detecting cells. The nanofiber material would then provide a place for these new cells attach to and grow on. Once the cells were established -- between 24 and 48 hours -- the material would naturally degrade. "We've been able to show that in mice we can restore some kind of meaningful vision," said Young. "Pigs have compatible cells, and the next step is to restore vision for them as well." If the animal trials go well, Young estimates that it will be a minimum of three years before any human trials of the material can be attempted. "It sounds very exciting that they were able to incorporate multiple proteins," said Paula Hammond of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who works with electrospun materials. "This could be especially interesting for tissue regeneration and wound healing applications," said Hammond. Related Links: Schepens Eye Research Institute |
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