Lab-grown retinal vessels restore function in mice, fueling hope for blindness treatments

Duke University researchers used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to grow retinal endothelial cells—the vessels lining the retina—and demonstrated they can form functional vascular networks in lab conditions. When injected into mouse models of retinal disease, the lab-grown cells integrated with existing tissue to rebuild blood vessels and restore retinal function, suggesting a cheaper, scalable path toward preventative therapies for conditions like diabetic retinopathy.