Newt’s Regeneration as Basis for Permanent Cure to Eye Conditions Vision is one of the most used senses, often taken for granted. Damage to the eyes can vary, either from outside factors. A punch to an eye can permanently damage the lens and retina. Physical injuries are numerous. The eyes can be permanently blinded by an ill placement of chemicals or a runaway spark from a bonfire. Diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration can lead to permanent blindness. On the other hand, newts can regenerate any of their organs, including eyes, once it has been damaged. As stated by Catarina Franco, “Regeneration is a complex cellular process that, rather than simply forming a scar following injury, the animal forms a new functional tissue” (Franco, 2013). Research is being done on newt’s regeneration process using stem cells as a substitute to obtain the same results in humans. Eyes are important, so a lifetime cure using newt’s regeneration, should be available to humans through the use of stem cells or other regenerative processes. Human eyes have a complex system to relay the pictures to the brain so it can comprehend an image. There are three important layers in an eye: the cornea, the lens, and the retina. Light waves enter through the cornea, past the lens, and then hit the retina, where the photo receptors signal the image to the optic nerve (Chiba, 2013). The optic nerve transfers the image, like data, to the brain and converts it into a comprehensive image. In between the cornea and the lens are the iris and pupil. The iris surrounds the pupil, an opening in the eye that leads to the lens. Together, the pupil and lens regulate the amount of light that enters the eye. If one part of the eye becomes damaged in any way, whethe... ... middle of paper ... ...s, M. M., Yamada, S., ... & Del Rio-Tsonis, K. Controlling gene loss of function in newts with emphasis on lens regeneration. nature protocols, 2011, 6, 593-599. Tsonis, P. A., & Del Rio-Tsonis, K. Lens and retina regeneration: transdifferentiation, stem cells and clinical applications. Experimental eye research, 2004, 78, 161-172. Wassmer, S., Beddaoui, M., Rajai, P., Munger, R., & Tsilfidis, C. A Focus on the Optical Properties of the Regenerated Newt Lens. PloS one, 2013, 8, e70845. Yang, X. T., Bi, Y. Y., Chen, E. T., & Feng, D. F. Overexpression of Wnt3a facilitates the proliferation and neural differentiation of neural stem cells in vitro and after transplantation into an injured rat retina. Journal of neuroscience research, 2014, 92, 148-161. Yip, H. K. Retinal Stem Cells and Regeneration of Vision System. The Anatomical Record, 2014, 297, 137-160.
While findings of these experiments do not suggest the ability of the zebrafish to regenerate from a single stem cell, they do indicate that the animals rely on their unlimited regenerative capacity to heal after injury. The fact that they can rapidly regrow body parts with scaring show how intriguing these small organisms are. The mechanisms involved in regeneration in zebrafish have provided insight into human biological processes, due to its genetic similarity to humans.
Stem cell research began in 1956 when Dr. E Donnall Thomas performed the first bone marrow transplant (“Adult stem cells are not more promising,” 2007). Since that time, research has evolved into obtaining cells from a variety of tissues. According to stem cell research professors, Ariff Bongso and Eng Hin Lee (2005), “Stem cells are unspecialized cells in the human body that are capable of becoming cells, each with new specialized functions” (p. 2). Stem cells are in various adult tissues, such as bone marrow, the liver, the epidermis layer of skin, the central nervous system, and eyes. They are also in other sources, such as fetuses, umbilical cords, placentas, embryos, and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which are cells from adult tissues that have been reprogrammed to pluripotency. Most stem cells offer multipotent cells, which are sparse...
Schwartz, S. D. (2012). Embryonic stem cell trials for macular degeneration: A preliminary report. PubMed, Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22281388
.... Here the Cre-loxP genetic fate mapping will be applied to skeletal muscle during limb regeneration in two salamander species, Notophthalmus viridescens (newt) and Ambystoma mexicanum (axolotl). It is known that myofiber dedifferentiation is an integral part of limb regeneration in the newt, but not in axolotl. In the newt, myofiber fragmentation results in proliferating, PAX7(-) mononuclear cells in the blastema that give rise to the skeletal muscle in the new limb. In contrast, myofibers in axolotl do not generate proliferating cells, and do not contribute to newly regenerated muscle; instead, resident PAX7(+) cells provide the regeneration activity.[5] Results show significant diversity in limb muscle regeneration mechanisms among salamanders and suggest that multiple strategies may be feasible for inducing regeneration in other species, including mammals.[5]
The eyes are one of the most significant body parts. It permits you to do your tasks - drive to the office, buy supplies, and read books. Unfortunately, a number of people only begin to care for their vision only once they already have concerns on their vision. Care for the eye is really important and this article will aid you to see this.
Fortunately, cataract formation on the optical lenses proves to be a malady that is simple to fix. Future scholarship on such a topic could serve to address the remaining high statistic of blindness due to cataracts. Perhaps formation of cataracts is under diagnosed due to limited health care availability for some individuals.
Regeneration is the process of restoration, renewal, and regrowth. Some things can regrow off the cut off of the old piece, according to Richard Johnson Goss, “By such regeneration whole organisms may dramatically replace substantial portions of themselves when they have been cut in two, or may grow organs or appendages that have been lost. Not all living things regenerate parts in this manner, however” (2016). Regeneration consists of new cells that are created by own cells. With this, stem cells divide to
Stem cells offer the capability to develop into many different cell types in the body in the time of early life and growth. Furthermore, in many cell tissues they serve as an internal repair system, dividing almost without
The doctors inject the healthy embryonic stem cells into the patient's body to take over the diseased or damaged cells. The transplant can also be used for chemo or radiation. The fetal tissue transplants have potential cures for diabetes and Parkinson's disease. The clinical potential in tissue repair have the advocates believing that the embryonic stem cells are the possible relief or cure of a wide range of disabilities. The procedure is done by the doctor or surgeon injecting the stem cells into the diseased organ. Another way the procedure is done is via IV. The stem cells are injected into the blood stream by dripping. The stem cells can make new organs and treat many diseases. Robert Lanza built a new type of tissue called the retinal pigment epithelium to help blind adults and youth (Wheelwright). Eventually, stem cells may be able to replace body parts and
“Miraculous Recovery: Rat Regenerates Heart”, was the compelling article title in my Human Anatomy class that introduced me to tissue engineering. The notion of using stem cells to recreate an entire organ, of using the decellularized extracellular matrix of a rat to reanimate a heart, was simply astounding. I read more about this field and found out how it is thanks to tissue regeneration that man regrew a part of his finger after a toy helicopter accident, a boy received
• More than 10,000 blind or visually impaired people have benefited from corneal transplants, possible only because of hundreds of trials on rabbits.
The cornea and the crystalline lens act together to focus the light on the retina and provide vision following a specific procedure as shown in figures 2 and 3. It begins when light enters the eye through the cornea which is the transparent, prolate, front refractive surface of the eye with 43 Dioptric power. After that, the light is refracted to pass through the pupil where its amount is regulated by the constriction or dilation of the sphincter or dilator muscles of the iris, respectively. Then the light will pass through the second refractive surface of the eye which is the crystalline lens with 20 Diopters of power and having a transparent biconvex shape, the light is refracted onto the retina. (Garrity, 2015) (Vail,
Regenerative medicine also seeks to understand the ability of a tissue or organ to repair itself. Many adult tissue contain stem cells but are at times not functional or is impaired by disease. Using factors to activate and promote instrinsic repair in a diseased organ opens up whole new prospect for therapies targeted toward many degenerative diseases.[9]
My passion and pursuit in optometry developed at an early age as a result of meeting countless number of people who suffered with poor or loss of vision due to their illness. As a child I could not grasp how one illness evoked another, it was only when I learned about the science behind the human body that I seriously began analyzing my childhood experiences. Further studies in Biology and Chemistry allowed me to develop analytical skills and Physics and Math promoted my deduction skills in following logical processes to infer results. I have learned that the history of optometry is a heroic narrative that speaks of a similar quest to identify the links that connects these health issues to eye disease; therefore, I have built an overwhelming sense of belonging to this
This protects the eye from becoming dry.The Cornea, a part of the sclera, is the transparent window of the eye through which light passes. The focusing of the light begins in the cornea.Behind the Cornea is a watery fluid called the aqueous humor. This fluid fills a curved, crescent shaped space, thick in the center and thinner toward the edges. The cornea and the aqueous humor together make an outer lens that refracts, or bends, light and dire...