The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) has made a groundbreaking announcement regarding their development of an artificial visual circuit platform. Through cell experiments, the institute has successfully created artificial photoreceptors that possess the same level of visual function as humans. These photoreceptors are able to transmit electrical signals generated by receiving light to other nerve cells. This breakthrough offers new hope for individuals who have lost their sight due to retinal diseases such as accidents, macular degeneration, and diabetes.
The human retina is composed of cone cells and rod cells. Cone cells produce photoreceptor proteins that differentiate between the three primary colors – red, green, and blue. On the other hand, rod cells produce photoreceptor proteins that distinguish between light and dark. The process of vision occurs as light enters the eye, is concentrated on the retina, forms an image, and is then transmitted to the brain through the optic nerve.
Previous research on artificial retinas involved electroporation or viral gene injection into individual nerve cells. However, these methods faced issues such as the loss of nerve cell functionality or necrosis, leading to the inability to express photoreceptor proteins effectively. To overcome these challenges, the KIST research team utilized spheroids – cell populations that enhance the functionality and viability of nerve cells. By increasing the interactions between these cells, the team achieved stable expression of artificial photoreceptor proteins. This approach yielded a high survival rate of over 80%, surpassing the current neuron survival rate of less than 50%.
The KIST team successfully produced spheroids with selective reactivity in blue and green by expressing rhodopsin and blue opsin, respectively. These spheroids responded to the same wavelengths of color as perceived by the human eye. The researchers then connected a light-responsive nerve spheroid that emulates the eye to a regular nerve spheroid that imitates the brain. Through the use of a fluorescence microscope, they were able to observe the process of nerve transmission extending into the regular spheroid. Essentially, they created a visual signal transmission model that provides insight into how the human brain perceives signals produced in the retina as different colors.
Dr. Jaeheon Kim of KIST expressed the significance of this achievement, stating that the platform not only reduces reliance on animal experiments but also lowers research costs. He also revealed that the team plans to develop a spheroid capable of recognizing all colors that humans can see. With the aim of manufacturing and developing it into a test kit for vision-related diseases and treatments, the team’s work enhances the possibilities for artificial photoreceptor transmission.
This groundbreaking research was carried out under the Her Fawr project, which seeks to contribute to humanity through convergent research between various departments within KIST. The team is actively working towards developing an artificial system that can one day replace the function of the human retina. The results of their study have been published in the prestigious international academic journal ‘Advanced Materials’.
[충남일보 김현수 기자] The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced that it has developed an artificial visual circuit platform that transmits electrical signals generated by receiving light to other nerve cells by producing artificial photoreceptors with the same level of visual function as humans through cell experiments .
This gives new hope to people who have lost their sight due to retinal diseases such as visual damage due to accidents, macular degeneration, and diabetes.
An eye-brain spheroid-based light-responsive neuron simulation model of human vision (Image = KIST)
The human retina is made up of cone cells and rod cells. Cone cells produce photoreceptor proteins that distinguish between the three colors red, green and blue, and rod cells produce photoreceptor proteins that distinguish between light and dark. The human eye sees objects through a process where light coming from outside is condensed on the retina, forms an image, and is transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve.
Current artificial retina research used electroporation or viral gene injection into single nerve cells, but there were problems with nerve cells losing function or necrosis before artificially expressing photoreceptor proteins.
The KIST research team was able to stably express artificial photoreceptor proteins by increasing interactions between cells by using a cell population called a spheroid, which increases the functionality and viability of nerve cells, as a platform for photoreceptor expression. It has a high survival rate of over 80% compared to the current neuron survival rate of less than 50%.
The KIST research team produced spheroids with selective reactivity in blue and green, respectively, by expressing rhodopsin (~490nm), which distinguishes between light and dark, and blue opsin (~410nm), which distinguishes between colors. The spheroids produced by the research team responded at the same wavelength as the color recognized by the human eye.
They then created a device that connected a light-responsive nerve spheroid that mimics the eye and a regular nerve spheroid that mimics the brain, and successfully captured the process of nerve transmission extending into a spheroid regular by fluorescence microscope. In other words, we created a visual signal transmission model that allows us to examine the process by which the human brain perceives signals produced in the retina as different colors.
Dr. Jaeheon Kim of KIST said, “It is a platform that can reduce reliance on animal experiments and reduce research costs by verifying the possibility of transmitting visual signals through artificial photoreceptors in various ways.” He added, “In the future, we will develop a spheroid that can recognize all colors humans can see.” “We plan to manufacture and develop it into a test kit for vision-related diseases and treatments.”
Meanwhile, the research was developed through the Her Fawr project, which aims to develop technologies that challenge and contribute to humanity through convergent research between departments within KIST. Research is being carried out with the aim of developing an artificial system that can replace the function of the human retina in the future, and the results of this research were published in the international academic journal ‘Advanced Materials’.
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