Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDStem cell reports
Photoreceptor replacement therapy using a tissue scaffold shows evidence of donor-host integration in non-human primate retina.
13 affiliations
- 1Vision Science Graduate Group, Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science & Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- 2Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.
- 3Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; McPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- 4Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; McPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- 5Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- 6McPherson Eye Research Institute, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.
- 7Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA; University of Rochester Hajim School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Rochester, NY, USA.
- 8Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA; Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
- 9Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA; Vision Science Graduate Group, Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science & Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA.
- 10National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA.
- 11Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA.
- 12Vision Science Graduate Group, Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science & Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
- 13Center for Visual Science, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA; Flaum Eye Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
Abstract
Retinal degeneration is characterized by progressive photoreceptor (PR) loss, leading to visual impairment and ultimately blindness. PR replacement is a promising therapeutic strategy, but surgical delivery remains challenging, and efficacy in primates remains unknown. Tissue scaffolds hold potential for better control over cell delivery and distribution. Here, we delivered a scaffold, loaded with human embryonic stem-cell-derived PR precursors (PRPs), to the subretinal space of a non-human primate (NHP) and monitored donor PR survival and morphology in vivo. A substantial fraction of donor PRs survived for 20-weeks, with neurite extension by week 7 and some morphological elongation by week 17. Immunolabeling confirmed donor PR survival at 20 weeks with expression of key phototransduction and ribbon proteins, and some donor PRs forming putative synapses with host bipolar cells (BCs), including midget BCs. These findings suggest that scaffold-mediated PR replacement holds promise for restoring high acuity foveal vision.
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BibTeX
@article{patak2026photoreceptor,
title = {{Photoreceptor replacement therapy using a tissue scaffold shows evidence of donor-host integration in non-human primate retina.}},
author = {Laura Patak and Soumaya Belhadj and Agustin Luz-Madrigal and Praveen Joseph Susaimanickam and Jennifer M LaPorta and Tsung-Han Tsai and Ruosen Xie and Jacqueline Gayet and Hector C Baez and William S Fischer and Rachel Hollar and Nathaniel Foley and Andrea L Campbell and Shaoqin Gong and Zhenqiang Ma and Arvydas Maminishkis and Kapil Bharti and Juan Amaral and Vamsi K Gullapalli and David A DiLoreto and David M Gamm and Teresa Puthussery and Juliette E McGregor},
journal = {Stem cell reports},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.stemcr.2026.103079},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42868989},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Photoreceptor replacement therapy using a tissue scaffold shows evidence of donor-host integration in non-human primate retina.
AU - Laura Patak
AU - Soumaya Belhadj
AU - Agustin Luz-Madrigal
AU - Praveen Joseph Susaimanickam
AU - Jennifer M LaPorta
AU - Tsung-Han Tsai
AU - Ruosen Xie
AU - Jacqueline Gayet
AU - Hector C Baez
AU - William S Fischer
AU - Rachel Hollar
AU - Nathaniel Foley
AU - Andrea L Campbell
AU - Shaoqin Gong
AU - Zhenqiang Ma
AU - Arvydas Maminishkis
AU - Kapil Bharti
AU - Juan Amaral
AU - Vamsi K Gullapalli
AU - David A DiLoreto
AU - David M Gamm
AU - Teresa Puthussery
AU - Juliette E McGregor
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Stem cell reports
DO - 10.1016/j.stemcr.2026.103079
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42868989
AB - Retinal degeneration is characterized by progressive photoreceptor (PR) loss, leading to visual impairment and ultimately blindness. PR replacement is a promising therapeutic strategy, but surgical delivery remains challenging, and efficacy in primates remains unknown. Tissue scaffolds hold potential for better control over cell delivery and distribution. Here, we delivered a scaffold, loaded with human embryonic stem-cell-derived PR precursors (PRPs), to the subretinal space of a non-human primate (NHP) and monitored donor PR survival and morphology in vivo. A substantial fraction of donor PRs survived for 20-weeks, with neurite extension by week 7 and some morphological elongation by week 17. Immunolabeling confirmed donor PR survival at 20 weeks with expression of key phototransduction and ribbon proteins, and some donor PRs forming putative synapses with host bipolar cells (BCs), including midget BCs. These findings suggest that scaffold-mediated PR replacement holds promise for restoring high acuity foveal vision.
SN - 2213-6711
ER -