PNAS: Significant progress! Stem cells that can preserve vision have been found in the region of the optic nerve.

Aug 1, 2020 /--- In a new study, researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States have for the first time found stem cells in the region of the optic nerve that transmits signals from the eye to the brain.
the discovery provides a new theory for the most common forms of glaucoma and offers potential new methods for treating the main causes of blindness in U.S. adults.
related findings were published online July 27, 2020 in the journal PNAS with the title "The nerve lamina optic region is a progenitor cell niche".
picture from CC0 Public Domain. "We think these cells, called neural progenitor cells, are present in optic nerve tissue at birth and persist for decades to help nourish the neural fibers that form the optic nerve," said Dr. Steven Bernstein,
paper's author and professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
without these cells, the nerve fibers may lose their resistance to stress and begin to deteriorate, causing damage to the optic nerve and eventually glaucoma.
" more than 3 million Americans suffer from glaucoma.
glaucoma is caused by damage to the optic nerve, which causes blindness in 120,000 U.S. patients.
this nerve damage is usually associated with increased eye pressure caused by fluid build-up and failure to drain properly. Blind spots appear in the
patients' vision, and over time, the blind spots will gradually expand. "This is the first time nerve progenitor cells have been found in the optic nerve, " said Dr.
Bernstein.
without these cells, the optic nerve will not be able to repair damage caused by glaucoma or other diseases.
this can lead to permanent vision loss and disability. The existence of
neural stem/progenitor cell opens the door to new treatments to repair optic nerve damage, which is very exciting news.
" To obtain the study, Dr. Bernstein and his team examined a narrow tissue called optic nerve sieve.
the optic nerve sieve is less than 1 mm wide and is located between the optic nerve and the photosensitive retinal tissue at the back of the eye.
long nerve fibers extend from the retina through the optic nerve sieve to the optic nerve.
the researchers found that after the nerve fibers leave the eyeball, the optic nerve sieve progenitor cells may be responsible for immediately insulating them, thus supporting the connection between nerve cells on the path to the brain.
these stem cells in the lamina niche use growth factors to bathe these extended nerve fibers, as well as aid in the formation of insulators.
the researchers were able to confirm the presence of these neural stem cells by using antibodies and genetically modified animals, and to identify specific protein markers on their surfaces. Dr.
Bernstein said, "It took 52 trials to successfully develop the optic nerve sieve progenitor cells during in vitro culture.
therefore, this is a challenging process.
"Dr. Bernstein and his colleagues need to determine the right combination of growth factors and other cell culture conditions in order to best benefit the growth and replication of these stem cells."
, they found that these stem cells can be induced to differentiate into several different types of nerve cells.
these nerve cells include neurons and glial cells, which are known to be important for cell repair and cell replacement in different brain regions.
this finding could change the treatment of eye diseases that affect the optic nerve. Dr.
Bernstein and his team plan to use genetically modified mice to see how the decline in the progenitor cells of the optic nerve sieve causes diseases such as glaucoma and prevents repair.
further research is needed in the future to explore the mechanism of repair of this kind of neuroprogenocte. Dr.
Bernstein added, "If we can identify the key growth factors that these cells secrete, they could potentially act as a mixture to slow the progression of glaucoma and other age-related vision disorders."
" Dean of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, E. Professor Albert Reece said: "This exciting finding could lead to dramatic changes in the field of age-related diseases that lead to vision loss.
millions of patients with severe vision-affected vision are in dire need of new treatments, and I think this study will give them new hope.
" (Bioon.com) References: 1.S. L. Bernstein et al. The nerve optic lamina region is a neural progenitor cell niche. PNAS, 2020, doi: 10.1073/pnas.20018581117.2. Researchers stem cells in the optic it nerve that the enable lysops of vision.