retinal damage

Researchers at the University of Florida claim to be the first to use targeted gene manipulation to take adult stem cells and change them into another kind of cell completely. They changed the stem cells, from bone marrow in this instance, into retinal cells. These retinal cells, when injected into blind mice, helped cure their blindness.

Restored vision might be in the future for the 3 million Americans who suffer from blinding retinal damage. Alex Ignatiev and his colleagues at Houston's Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center have developed ceramic photocells to replace damaged rods and cones-the millions of specialized cells in our eyes that convert light into electrical impulses. These signals are then interpreted by the brain, allowing us to see.