The article that I stumbled on this week covers stem cells.
Researchers at John Hopkins have developed a method to transform human stem
cells into retinal ganglion cells. The researchers define that retinal ganglion
cells are types of nerve cells that are located within the retina that transmit visual signals from the eye to
the brain. They also state that if someone were to lose the cells, they
would suffer a complete or partial loss of vision. The death of the cells could
arise from conditions such as glaucoma and multiple sclerosis. The way that
the researchers were able to transform the stem cells is by using the tool CRISPR-Cas9.
The researchers inserted the fluorescent protein gene into the stem cells' DNA.
This fluorescent protein would be fluoresced only if a gene named BRN3B
(POU4F2) was expressed. According to the researchers “BRN3B is expressed by
mature retinal ganglion cells, so once a cell differentiated into a retinal
ganglion cell, it would appear red under a microscope”. This is because
the fluorescent protein would fluoresce red. The researchers then sorted the
cells via a technique called
fluorescence-activated cell sorting. They were then able to study the
transformed stem cells to the point where they discovered that they showed similar
biological and physical properties seen in retinal ganglion cells that are produced naturally. This research
is important because it could lead to other treatment options for patients with
glaucoma and MS.
here is the link to the article:
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20151201/Johns-Hopkins-researchers-develop-method-to-turn-stem-cells-into-retinal-ganglion-cells.aspx
