Preparations for eye transplantation have begun
People will begin to transplant their eyes within the next ten years
Copper News based on STAT News – An audacious vision: Researchers aim for first human eye transplant within the decade
Scientists have never been able to perform a complete eye transplant. Attempts to carry out such a transplant are underway – many animal experiments have already been conducted.
The eye is a complex structure, a whole complex that includes muscles, nerves and blood vessels that connect directly to the brain. In 1977, the US National Eye Institute stated that it was impossible to completely transplant an eye. The organs of vision transplanted during the experiment were rejected, and there was no restoration of blood flow and innervation of the eye.
A group of researchers from the University of Pittsburgh announced that they are preparing for eye transplant operations – such a transplant can be carried out within the next ten years. If such transplants are used in clinical practice, it will help to restore vision to those who have lost it as a result of injuries or diseases. Kia Washington, the head of the research group, says that many scientists are skeptical about such an undertaking.
Scientists from Pittsburgh hope to overcome all the difficulties and ensure that the transplanted eye is fully functional. Now they are conducting experiments on laboratory rats, working out a technique for preserving the viability of optic nerve cells and further stimulating their growth. They explain that it is important to keep the neurons alive even when the donor eye is removed.
In 2010, scientists were able to identify the gene responsible for the viability of visual neurons. They found that the nerve cells of mice deprived of the BAX gene remained alive for a long time after damage to the optic nerve. In those who had the gene present, neurons died within three weeks. The drug, which inhibits the work of BAX, is able to prolong the life of nerve cells and save the organ for transplantation.
The second problem that also needs to be solved is the stimulation of nerve cell growth. Specialists from Harvard Medical School have found a technique for reprogramming neurons, turning old cells into younger ones. Under the influence of a whole complex of compounds, scientists were able to stimulate the growth of neurons and restore the integrity of the optic nerve in mice. However, the animals' vision did not return after that. They were able to see again after taking a course of 4-AP, a drug designed to treat multiple sclerosis.
Scientists will have to cope with many more difficulties before they are ready to conduct experiments on human eye transplantation. Among those already mentioned, it is necessary to reduce the risk of rejection of the transplanted organ – a traditional problem accompanying transplantation operations. This will be investigated in rats and primates.
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25.11.2016