Blind Rodents Now Can See

The BBC reports on a study from an international team of scientists who restored vision in just 24 hours to hampsters with severed optic nerves.

The researchers injected the blind hamsters at the site of their injury with a solution containing synthetically made peptides - miniscule molecules measuring just five nanometres long.

Once inside the hamster's brain, the peptides spontaneously arranged into a scaffold-like criss-cross of nanofibres, which bridged the gap between the severed nerves.

The scientists discovered that brain tissue in the hamsters knitted together across the molecular scaffold, while also preventing scar tissue from forming.

Importantly, the newly formed brain tissue enabled the brain nerves to re-grow, restoring vision in the injured hamsters.

The peptides they injected were passed through the animals' urine 3-4 weeks after injection while the therapeutic effects remained.

Dr. Ellis-Behnke, the lead researcher on the paper, said the first application might be used to mitigate damage during neurosurgery. Later, the researchers hope their work will lead to reconnecting damaged areas of the brain in patients who have suffered stroke or trauma.

Pretty jaw-dropping. Maybe nanotechnology, not stem cell research, will lead to nerve regeneration in humans.

Nerve growth is shown in green following nanoparticle injections.