New Retinal Implant Contains "Fertilizing" Enzymes

Scientists from Harvard University, the University of California at Irvine, and Case Western Reserve University have been working on an implant to restore the function of photoreceptors in the eye so that the millions of persons blinded by RP and ARMD might regain their vision.  RP and ARMD destroy the eye's photoreceptors, which convert light into electrical signals and carry them to the brain.

Recognizing that in order for retinal progenitor cells to grow, the scar tissue left by the degeneration of the photoreceptors must be replaced by "fertile soil," researchers created one implant that could disintegrate the scar tissue and plant the progenitor cells simultaneously.

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