Treatment Paradigms for Retinal and Macular Diseases Using 3-D Retina Cultures Derived From Human Reporter Pluripotent Stem Cell Lines

Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2016 Apr 1;57(5):ORSFl1-ORSFl11. doi: 10.1167/iovs.15-17639.

Abstract

We discuss the use of pluripotent stem cell lines carrying fluorescent reporters driven by retinal promoters to derive three-dimensional (3-D) retina in culture and how this system can be exploited for elucidating human retinal biology, creating disease models in a dish, and designing targeted drug screens for retinal and macular degeneration. Furthermore, we realize that stem cell investigations are labor-intensive and require extensive resources. To expedite scientific discovery by sharing of resources and to avoid duplication of efforts, we propose the formation of a Retinal Stem Cell Consortium. In the field of vision, such collaborative approaches have been enormously successful in elucidating genetic susceptibility associated with age-related macular degeneration.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cell Differentiation / genetics
  • Cell Differentiation / physiology
  • Cell Line
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Genes, Reporter / physiology
  • Humans
  • Macular Degeneration / metabolism
  • Macular Degeneration / therapy
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells* / cytology
  • Pluripotent Stem Cells* / metabolism
  • Retina / cytology*
  • Retina / metabolism
  • Retinal Degeneration* / metabolism
  • Retinal Degeneration* / therapy
  • Retinal Neurons / cytology
  • Retinal Pigment Epithelium / metabolism
  • Tissue Culture Techniques / methods*