Break Through On Possible Replacement Retina

Researchers have recently succeeded in printing adult eye cells for the first time. It is a step toward curing some types of blindness by producing tissue implants. In the past, embryonic stem cells and other immature cells have been printed but it was thought that adult cells might be too fragile to print. The victorious cells were from the optic nerves of rats and had the ability to grow and develop! Many cases of eye diseases lead to blindness due to loss of nerve cells in the retina says said Dr. Keith Martin, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Cambridge, in England, and co-author of the study detailed online today (Dec. 17) in the journal Biofabrication. The aim of this experiment is to be able to print a replacement retina. On top of it all, the optic nerve cells were also able to sprout neurites which are fingerlike filaments that form connections with other nerve cells.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/12/18/inkjet-print-eye-cells-cure-blindness_n_4466418.html?utm_hp_ref=science&ir=Science