Upstate study offers a promising new avenue for advancing regenerative medicine

A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience Nov. 13 (Vol, 44, Issue 46) offers new insights into the retinal regeneration and suggests that immune cells could play a significant role in preventing the repair of damaged neurons in the eye.

According to researchers at SUNY Upstate Medical University and the University of Washington, white blood cells, called monocytes, infiltrate the retina following injury, and may act as a barrier to the regeneration of retinal neurons.

Unlike some species of amphibians and fish, whose nervous systems can regenerate after injury, mammalian CNS tissue, including the retina, has limited regenerative potential. However, recent advances in gene therapy and cellular reprogramming have raised hope for regenerative therapies that could potentially treat blindness caused by diseases like macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy.

In this study, lead author Levi Todd, PhD, SUNY Upstate assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences, and his team, including Upstate doctoral student Sucheta Bhattacharya, examined the regenerative potential of Müller glia, a type of retinal support cell. Previous research has shown that Müller glia can be reprogrammed under certain conditions into cells capable of generating new neurons.

To better understand the factors that influence this regenerative process, Todd’s team explored the role of inflammation, and the role it plays in the body’s response to injury.

Their research found that monocytes—immune cells that originate outside the brain and enter the retina from the peripheral bloodstream—may hinder regeneration.

In their work, researchers suppressed the infiltration of monocytes to boost the regenerative ability of Müller glia.

The findings suggest that modulating the immune system could become a strategy to improve regenerative therapies for retinal diseases, and possibly other areas of the central nervous system where regeneration is limited.

While further research is needed to understand the mechanisms at play fully, Todd’s study offers a promising new avenue for advancing regenerative medicine.

Caption: Levi Todd, PhD, center, with his research team in his lab at the Neurosciences Research Building, from left, Emma Conklin, Thomas Avallone, Ying Han, Todd, Sucheta Bhattacharya, Jugasmi ta Deka and Samantha Sutton.