A revolution in sight: using induced pluripotent stem cells to investigate diseases of the retinal pigment epithelium

Abstract

Macular diseases are one of the leading causes of vision loss in the western world. In the UK alone, almost 1.5 million people suffer from these devastating diseases, which primarily affect the macula, a region in the retina responsible for detailed central vision. In many patients, cellular changes, attributable to ageing or inherited mutations, are associated with the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a single layer of cells that sustains and supports the light-sensitive retina. In the absence of functional RPE, the retina becomes damaged and vision deteriorates. Currently, there are no treatments for these diseases. Over the last two decades, induced pluripotent stem cells have revolutionized our study of retinal disorders, enabling researchers to produce previously inaccessible RPE cells in a dish. The ability to recreate these cells from patients has provided new model systems to understand the mechanisms behind the disease and accelerate the development of new therapies to treat sight loss.