HiPSC-derived retinal ganglion cells grow dendritic arbors and functional axons on a tissue-engineered scaffold

Publication date: Available online 17 February 2017
Source:Acta Biomaterialia
Author(s): Kangjun Li, Xiufeng Zhong, Sijing Yang, Ziming Luo, Kang Li, Ying Liu, Song Cai, Huaiyu Gu, Shoutao Lu, Haijun Zhang, Yantao Wei, Jing Zhuang, Yehong Zhuo, Zhigang Fan, Jian Ge
Numerous therapeutic procedures in modern medical research rely on the use of tissue engineering for the treatment of retinal diseases. However, the cell source and the transplantation method are still a limitation. Previously, we reported on the induction of a self-organizing three-dimensional neural retina from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). In this study, we disclose the generation of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) from the neural retina and their seeding on a biodegradable poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffold to create an engineered RGC-scaffold biomaterial. Moreover, we explored the dendritic arbor, branching point, functional axon and action potential of the biomaterial. Finally, the cell-scaffold was transplanted into the intraocular environment of rabbits and rhesus monkeys.Statement of SignificanceAs a part of the mammalian central nervous system (CNS), the retinal ganglion cell (RGC) shows little regenerative capacity. With the use of medical biomaterial for cells seeding and deliver, a new domain is now emerging that uses tissue engineering therapy for retinal disease. However, previous studies utilized RGCs from rodent model, which has limitations for human disease treatment.In the present study, we generated RGCs from hiPSCs-3D neural retina and then seeded these RGCs on PLGA scaffold to create an engineered RGC-scaffold biomaterial. Moreover, we assessed the transplantation method for biomaterial in vivo. Our study provides a technique to produce the engineered human RGC-scaffold biomaterial.

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