Degeneration of the rod and cone photoreceptors in the human retina is among the most common causes of blindness. Replacing these damaged photoreceptors may help to restore vision. Repairing the damaged retina relies on the insertion of new, healthy cells. Embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are two possible sources of photoreceptors to restore vision. Previous data shows that human ES cells and iPS cells can be differentiated into photoreceptors and transplanted into the eye to restore some vision. However, this process is inefficient, and costly. Here, we show a new method for inducing photoreceptor production from undifferentiated cells through the use of small molecules. Additionally, we aim to mimic retinal degenerations through oxidative stress to examine diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.
","abstract_html":"<p>Degeneration of the rod and cone photoreceptors in the human retina is among the most common causes of blindness. Replacing these damaged photoreceptors may help to restore vision. Repairing the damaged retina relies on the insertion of new, healthy cells. Embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are two possible sources of photoreceptors to restore vision. Previous data shows that human ES cells and iPS cells can be differentiated into photoreceptors and transplanted into the eye to restore some vision. However, this process is inefficient, and costly. Here, we show a new method for inducing photoreceptor production from undifferentiated cells through the use of small molecules. Additionally, we aim to mimic retinal degenerations through oxidative stress to examine diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Reynolds, Joseph C."],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Biological Sciences","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Deepak Lamba, MBBS, PhD","Meredith Protas, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:04:35Z","subjects":["photoreceptors","stem cells","small molecules","differentiation","retina","Aging","Developmental Biology","Developmental Neuroscience","Eye Diseases","Laboratory and Basic Science Research","Optometry","Structural Biology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/169","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Deepak Lamba, MBBS, PhD","Meredith Protas, Ph.D."]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Reynolds, Joseph C."]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["1970-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Biological Sciences"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["photoreceptors","stem cells","small molecules","differentiation","retina","Aging","Developmental Biology","Developmental Neuroscience","Eye Diseases","Laboratory and Basic Science Research","Optometry","Structural Biology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/169"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Degeneration of the rod and cone photoreceptors in the human retina is among the most common causes of blindness. Replacing these damaged photoreceptors may help to restore vision. Repairing the damaged retina relies on the insertion of new, healthy cells. Embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are two possible sources of photoreceptors to restore vision. Previous data shows that human ES cells and iPS cells can be differentiated into photoreceptors and transplanted into the eye to restore some vision. However, this process is inefficient, and costly. Here, we show a new method for inducing photoreceptor production from undifferentiated cells through the use of small molecules. Additionally, we aim to mimic retinal degenerations through oxidative stress to examine diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Efficient In Vitro Development of Photoreceptors from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Deepak Lamba, MBBS, PhD","Meredith Protas, Ph.D."],"dc:creator":["Reynolds, Joseph C."],"dc:date.available":["1970-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Degeneration of the rod and cone photoreceptors in the human retina is among the most common causes of blindness. Replacing these damaged photoreceptors may help to restore vision. Repairing the damaged retina relies on the insertion of new, healthy cells. Embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are two possible sources of photoreceptors to restore vision. Previous data shows that human ES cells and iPS cells can be differentiated into photoreceptors and transplanted into the eye to restore some vision. However, this process is inefficient, and costly. Here, we show a new method for inducing photoreceptor production from undifferentiated cells through the use of small molecules. Additionally, we aim to mimic retinal degenerations through oxidative stress to examine diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/169"],"dc:subject":["photoreceptors","stem cells","small molecules","differentiation","retina","Aging","Developmental Biology","Developmental Neuroscience","Eye Diseases","Laboratory and Basic Science Research","Optometry","Structural Biology"],"dc:title":["Efficient In Vitro Development of Photoreceptors from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Biological Sciences"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:04:35Z"}