Retinal Organoids: Innovative Tools for Understanding Retinal Degeneration

Retinal degenerative diseases (RDDs) comprise diverse genetic and phenotypic conditions that cause progressive retinal dysfunction and cell loss, leading to vision impairment or blindness. Most RDDs lack appropriate animal models for their study, which affects understanding their disease mechanisms...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Galindo-Cabello, Nadia, Caballano-Infantes, Estefanía, Benites, Gregorio, Pastor-Idoate, Salvador, Díaz-Corrales, Francisco J., Usategui-Martín, Ricardo
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/390731
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/390731
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/105002594045
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Photoreceptors
Retinal degeneration
Retinal organoids
Stem cells
Descripción
Sumario:Retinal degenerative diseases (RDDs) comprise diverse genetic and phenotypic conditions that cause progressive retinal dysfunction and cell loss, leading to vision impairment or blindness. Most RDDs lack appropriate animal models for their study, which affects understanding their disease mechanisms and delays the progress of new treatment development. Recent advances in stem cell engineering, omics, and organoid technology are facilitating research into diseases for which there are no previously existing models. The development of retinal organoids produced from human stem cells has impacted the study of retinal development as well as the development of in vitro models of diseases, opening possibilities for applications in regenerative medicine, drug discovery, and precision medicine. In this review, we recapitulate research in the retinal organoid models for RDD, mentioning some of the main pathways underlying retinal neurodegeneration that can be studied in these new models, as well as their limitations and future challenges in this rapidly advancing field.