Ways to Prevent Blindness: Progenitor Cell Research Cedars-Sinai Skip to content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Share Email Print CS-Blog Cedars-Sinai Blog Research Close-Up Examining Ways to Prevent Blindness Jan 04, 2018 Cedars-Sinai Staff Share Tweet Post Benjamin Bakondi is a postdoctoral scientist in the Eye Program at Cedars-Sinai's Regenerative Medicine Institute. He and his colleagues are studying how neural progenitor cells can be used to prevent and treat blindness. He shared this image from ongoing research. What are we looking at This is an image taken through a fluorescence microscope of neural progenitor cells, or NPCs. Progenitor cells are similar to stem cells in that they can develop into other types of cells. These particular progenitor cells can mature into three different types of cells: Neurons - nerve cells Astrocytes - star-shaped cells that surround and support the neurons in the brain and spinal cord Oligodendrocytes - cells that insulate and protect the long fibers that extend from neurons This image was taken one week into their maturation to confirm these cells are multipotent, meaning they can grow into all these different cell types. Read: Young Cells Could Rejuvenate Old Hearts Why are you studying these kinds of cells Our research shows that transplanting these progenitor cells into the retina prevents vision loss in our laboratory animal models. Otherwise, they would become blind from progressive retinal disease, similar to human diseases like age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, a disease in which the retina is damaged. We're figuring out how these cells work in order to maximize their therapeutic benefit. How does this research aim to improve treatments or help us understand disease We're hoping to understand how these cells could be used to help prevent blindness that can occur because of disease. At one time, the conventional wisdom was that stem cells replace tissues lost to disease—but that doesn't explain the vision rescue that we and other researchers have seen with these transplants. It seems the cell grafts improve the function of the existing retinal cells and prevent them from dying, protecting them long-term. By identifying the precise molecular signals the NPCs use to exert their effects, we hope to determine which diseases will respond best to them. Our observations that the cells function through multiple mechanisms suggests that vision rescue from multiple diseases may be possible for patients who currently have ineffective treatments or no treatment options at all. Tags Innovation Research Regenerative Medicine Share Tweet Post Popular Categories Health + Wellness Science + Innovation Community Blog & Magazines catalyst Blog & Magazines Home CS-Blog Blog CS Magazine Cedars-Sinai Magazine discoveries magazine Discoveries Magazine Embracing our Community Embracing Our Community Blog & Magazines catalyst Blog & Magazines Home CS-Blog Blog Embracing our Community Embracing Our Community CS Magazine Cedars-Sinai Magazine discoveries magazine Discoveries Magazine Popular Topics Research Innovation Technology Clinical Trials Healthcare Accelerator Make an Appointment Find a Doctor Schedule a Callback Call us 24 hours a day 1-800-CEDARS-1 Support Cedars-Sinai Make a Gift Volunteer Share Email Print Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility