Pigs point the way for retinal disease study

Pigs are an effective proxy species for human retinal disease research, according to a recent study published in Stem Cells journal.

Research on rodents has for some time proved positive, but the new study from the team based in Louisville showed pig-originated induced pluripotent stem cells (as opposed to embryonic stem cells which have yet to be isolated from pigs) can differentiate into photoreceptors in culture.

These cells can then be integrated into damaged swine neural retinal tissue.

Pigs are much closer to humans anatomically and physiologically, so the stem cells' ability to differentiate this way shows potential for future treatments for retinal disease.