How neurons build a 3D vascular structure to keep the retina healthy

Originally published by University of California, San Francisco, on May 24, 2024


Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.04.010

Scientists have known for years that a lattice of blood vessels nourishes cells in the retina that allow us to see—but it's been a mystery how the intricate structure is created.

Now, researchers at UC San Francisco have found a new type of neuron that guides its formation.

The discovery, described in Cell, could one day lead to new therapies for diseases that are related to impaired blood flow in the eyes and brain.

"This is the first time anyone has seen retinal neurons using direct contact with blood vessels as a way of guiding them to form these precise 3D lattices," said Xin Duan, Ph.D., an associate professor of ophthalmology and senior author of the study. "This brings us closer to the possibility of repairing them when they're damaged or rerouting them when they weren't built right in the first place."

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