Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) and Harvard University have developed ganglion cells made from stem cells that can integrate into the retina and replace cells destroyed by glaucoma. This is the first successful attempt to transplant ganglion cells derived from stem cells in a lab setting. Scientists tested the technology in mice and established that the cells successfully integrated and survived for a year. In the future, the researchers plan to create specialized cell banks, which will permit individual, tailored therapy for each patient.

The ganglion cells were grown using special organoids, with the tissue formed in a Petri dish. These cells were subsequently transplanted into several groups of mice. The MIPT scientists were responsible for reisolating and analyzing the transplanted cells.