Regenerated eye transplantation in frogs

2002/01/07 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia

• Genetika
• Medikuntza

Although the use of human embryos to obtain stem cells has generated an ethical debate, the results of animal research show that they are taken into account.

Now, the team led by Tokyo University biologist Makoto Asashima has unveiled a successful step on this path. In fact, for the first time they have managed to regenerate the eyeball. To do this, they extracted stem cells from the embryo of the frog and proliferated them in a special environment. Subsequently, the left eye was prevented before birth from some cobs that were replaced by regenerated transplants.

A week after transplantation, in addition to correctly connecting the optic nerve, researchers point out that tadpoles have not found rejection symptoms. In addition, the similarity of visual organs in humans and frogs makes this technique a valuable solution for blind people in the future.