Cone photoreceptor macular function and recovery after photostress in early non-exudative age-related macular degeneration.

Purpose: To identify parameters from cone function and recovery after photostress that detect functional deficits in early non-exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and to determine the repeatability of these parameters.

Methods: Cone-mediated visual function recovery after photostress was examined in three groups of subjects: young normal subjects (ages 20-29; N=8), older normal subjects (ages 50-90; N=9), and early non-exudative AMD subjects (ages 50-90; N=12). Eight AMD and four normal subjects were retested 1 year after the initial evaluation.

Engineering retinal progenitor cell and scrollable poly(glycerol-sebacate) composites for expansion and subretinal transplantation.

Retinal degenerations cause permanent visual loss and affect millions world-wide. Presently, a novel treatment highlights the potential of using biodegradable polymer scaffolds to induce differentiation and deliver retinal progenitor cells for cell replacement therapy. In this study, we engineered and analyzed a micro-fabricated polymer, poly(glycerol sebacate) (PGS) scaffold, whose useful properties include biocompatibility, elasticity, porosity, and a microtopology conducive to mouse retinal progenitor cell (mRPC) differentiation.

Retinal tissue engineering using mouse retinal progenitor cells and a novel biodegradable, thin-film poly(e-caprolactone) nanowire scaffold.

Retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) can be combined with nanostructured polymer scaffolds to generate composite grafts in culture. One strategy for repair of diseased retinal tissue involves implantation of composite grafts of this type in the subretinal space. In the present study, mouse retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) were cultured on laminin-coated novel nanowire poly(e-caprolactone)(PCL) scaffolds, and the survival, differentiation, and migration of these cells into the retina of C57bl/6 and rhodospsin -/- mouse retinal explants and transplant recipients were analyzed.