
Concept illustration of a schematic design for a glasses-mounted holographic retinal prosthesis (Credit: Roman Kanevsky, Inna Gefen & Shy Shoham)
Researchers led by biomedical engineering Professor Shy Shoham of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology are testing the power of holography to artificially stimulate cells in the eye, with hopes of developing a new strategy for bionic vision restoration.
Computer-generated holography, they say, could be used in conjunction with a technique called optogenetics, which uses gene therapy to deliver light-sensitive proteins to damaged retinal nerve cells. In conditions such as Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) – a condition affecting about one in 4000 people in the United States – these light-sensing cells degenerate and lead to blindness.
“The basic idea of optogenetics is to take a light-sensitive protein from another organism, typically from algae or bacteria, and insert it into a target cell, and that photosensitizes the cell,” Shoham explained.
Intense pulses of light can activate nerve cells newly sensitized by this gene therapy approach. But Shoham said researchers around the world are still searching for the best way to deliver the light patterns so that the retina “sees” or responds in a nearly normal way.
The plan is to someday develop a prosthetic headset or eyepiece that a person could wear to translate visual scenes into patterns of light that stimulate the genetically altered cells.
In their paper in the February 26 issue of Nature Communications, the Technion researchers show how light from computer-generated holography could be used to stimulate these repaired cells in mouse retinas. The key, they say, is to use a light stimulus that is intense, precise, and can trigger activity across a variety of cells all at once.
“Holography, what we’re using, has the advantage of being relatively precise and intense,” Shoham said. “And you need those two things to see.”
The researchers turned to holography after exploring other options, including laser deflectors and digital displays used in many portable projectors to stimulate these cells. Both methods had their drawbacks, Shoham said.
Digital light displays can stimulate many nerve cells at once, “but they have low light intensity and very low light efficiency,” Shoham said. The genetically repaired cells are less sensitive to light than normal healthy retinal cells, so they preferably need a bright light source like a laser to be activated.
“Lasers give intensity, but they can’t give the parallel projection” that would simultaneously stimulate all of the cells needed to see a complete picture, Shoham noted. “Holography is a way of getting the best of both worlds.”
The researchers have tested the potential of holographic stimulation in retinal cells in the lab, and have done some preliminary work with the technology in living mice with damaged retinal cells. The experiments show that holography can provide reliable and simultaneous stimulation of multiple cells at millisecond speeds.
But implementing a holographic prosthesis in humans is far in the future, Shoham cautioned.
His team is exploring other ways, aside from optogenetics, to activate damaged nerve cells. For instance, they are also experimenting with ultrasound for activating retinal and brain tissue.
And Shoham said holography itself “also provides a very interesting path toward three-dimensional stimulation, which we don’t use so much in the retina, but is very interesting in other projects where it allow us to stimulate 3-D brain tissue.”
The Latest Bing News on:
Bionic vision
- Vision Zeroon November 15, 2023 at 1:46 am
In 2018, the City of Mississauga officially committed to Vision Zero through a Council-approved motion. That means city staff and elected officials are working toward a goal of Zero fatalities and ...
- Breast cancer patients could soon get a BIONIC BREAST that brings back sensation in the chest after a mastectomyon November 14, 2023 at 9:16 am
Scientists are developing a ‘bionic breast’ device that could restore a sense of touch in breast cancer survivors who undergo mastectomies and reconstructive surgeries. The implantable device ...
- Pixium Vision announces the 48-Month Trial Results in Severe Atrophic AMDon November 13, 2023 at 5:00 pm
Pixium Vision is creating a world of bionic vision for those who have lost their sight, enabling them to regain visual perception and greater autonomy. Pixium Vision’s bionic vision systems are ...
- Pixium Vision announces the conversion of the safeguard proceedings into receivershipon November 13, 2023 at 6:01 am
Pixium Vision announces the conversion of the safeguard proceedings into receivership Paris, France, November 13, 2023 – 8:00 pm (CET ) – Pixium Vision SA (Euronext Growth Paris - FR001400JX97 ...
- Pixium Vision announces the conversion of the safeguard proceedings into receivershipon November 13, 2023 at 6:01 am
About Pixium Vision Pixium Vision is creating a world of bionic vision for those who have lost their sight, enabling them to regain visual perception and greater autonomy. Pixium Vision’s bionic ...
- Bionic Force Bionic Force Pro 50 ft. Hoseon November 9, 2023 at 4:01 pm
The Bionic Force Pro hose is an anti gravity hose. It is a tough and lightweight high performance hose. With crush resistant brass fittings the Bionic Force Pro hose is kink resistant. Made with high ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Bionic vision
[google_news title=”” keyword=”bionic vision” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
[/vc_column_text]
The Latest Bing News on:
Using holography to heal
- How California is using food prescriptions to heal patients and save moneyon November 19, 2023 at 4:00 pm
Published on August 15, 2023 – Food as Medicine: How One Hospital Is Using Organic Produce to Help Heal Patients by Tara Duggan, San Francisco Chronicle. Published on July 28, 2023 – How ...
- Using Medium Reading to Connect Realms and Promote Healingon November 12, 2023 at 3:59 pm
Giving the living closure, direction, or healing is frequently the goal. The methods used for this vary widely; some merely rely on the medium’s intuitive ability, while others use instruments such as ...
- Veteran using music to heal others with traumaon November 11, 2023 at 10:07 am
READ MORE:Veteran using music to heal others with trauma CHECK OUT WPTZ: Get the latest Plattsburgh and Burlington news of the day. See the stories making headlines, and get the latest weather ...
- Veterans Struggling with Mental Health Say Surfing Saves Lives: 'Water Is Healing' (Exclusive)on November 11, 2023 at 6:00 am
Now he’s using the ocean and the power of surfing to ... to build a community, to heal and to develop new tools for living,” Curaza — the San Luis Obispo, Calif.-based founder of the ...
- Veteran using music to heal others with traumaon November 11, 2023 at 4:07 am
From singing to songwriting. It's how one veteran has been staying busy. He's doing it to cope with his trauma, but also to help others with similar struggles. It's something we see and hear about all ...
- Veteran using music to heal others with traumaon November 10, 2023 at 4:00 pm
It's something we see and hear about all too often. Veterans and their struggles with mental health. "They tend to try to keep things inside. They tend to try to numb the pain," Allen Hayes, a U.S ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Using holography to heal
[google_news title=”” keyword=”using holography to heal” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]