Key points from article :
New technique directly reprograms skin cells (SC) into light-sensing rod photoreceptors.
Skips the previous stem-cell intermediary step which takes 6 months to prepare.
Functional photoreceptors ready for transplantation in only 10 days.
Direct reprogramming involves bathing SC in cocktail of 5 small molecule compounds.
These chemically mediate molecular pathways relevant for rod photoreceptor cell fate.
The result are rod photoreceptors that mimic native rods in appearance and function.
Genes expressed by the new cells were similar to those expressed by real rod photoreceptors.
Researchers demonstrated technique in mice retina, using both mouse- and human-derived SC.
Mice with severely advanced retinal degeneration were able to detect light.
3 months post-transplantation, survival of lab-made photoreceptors were confirmed.
Results will help researchers apply the technique to many other cell types as well.
Research by University of North Texas, NEI, and CIRC Therapeutics published in Nature.
