Neural Regeneration Research ›› 2016, Vol. 11 ›› Issue (10): 1560-1563.doi: 10.4103/1673-5374.193226

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Neuro-rejuvenation for neuronal function

Yuan Liu, Richard K. Lee*   

  1. Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, USA
  • Received:2016-09-26 Online:2016-10-31 Published:2016-10-31
  • Contact: Richard K. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., RLee@med.miami.edu.
  • Supported by:
    The work was supported by the National Glaucoma Research Program of the Bright Focus Foundation. The Bascom Palmer Eye Institute is supported by an unrestricted research grant from Research to Prevent Blindness and NIH center grant EY014801.

Abstract: Neurodegenerative eye diseases, such as glaucoma, cause irreversible vision loss in millions of patients worldwide, creating serious medical, economic and social issues. Like other mammalian central nervous system tracts, optic nerve intrinsically lacks the capacity for axonal growth and its surrounding environment is also non-permissive to regeneration. Any axonal damage also triggers a vicious cycle of retinal ganglion cell (RGC) death. Exploring methods that can enhance RGCs survival and promote axonal regeneration will not only enable vision restoration for millions of patients, but also shed light on the treatment of other neurodegenerative diseases. In this review article, we will go through three current approaches to cure neurodegenerative eye diseases, including cell based therapy, neuro-regeneration and neuro-rejuvenation.