Modelling retinal disease mechanisms and ocular cell development
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Modelling retinal disease mechanisms and ocular cell development using induced pluripotent stem cells
IRAS ID
134292
Contact name
Andrew J Lotery
Contact email
Research summary
The retina is the layer of cells at the back of the eye which converts the light we see into electrical signals for the brain. Diseases of the retina are the most common cause of blindness in the developed world. Many of these diseases are the result of defects in our genes. From genetic studies it is possible to identify what the gene defect is, however in many instances it is not understood how this defect leads to the development of disease. In this research we plan to produce retinal cells from skin samples/peripheral blood samples taken from patient’s with eye disease or from participants with healthy eyes. We will produce these retinal cells using a technique which induces the skin/blood cells to become pluripotent (act like stem cells). Various chemicals and small pieces of genetic material are applied to the skin/blood cells in order to turn them into stem cells which can be grown indefinitely and can be induced to turn into a range of other cell types. We aim to produce retinal cells from these induced pluripotent stem cells. We will then study these newly formed retinal cells to see how they function in order to understand what is causing problems in the eye. We may test various drugs, chemical or genetic material to see if we can make the cells function properly.
REC name
London - Fulham Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
14/LO/1330
Date of REC Opinion
18 Jul 2014
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion