IP: Japan scientists 'grow artificial eyeball'

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

> Date: Sat, 05 Jan 2002 11:33:40 -0800
> From: "Robert J. Berger" <rberger@ultradevices.com>
>
> "I do eyes, just eyes!" - backstreet geneticist in Bladerunner
>
> http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/asiapcf/east/01/05/japan.eyeball.reut/index.html
>
> Japan scientists 'grow artificial eyeball'
>
> TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) --Japanese scientists have succeeded in growing
> artificial eyeballs for the first time in the world, Kyodo news agency
> said on Saturday.
>
> A group of researchers led by Makoto Asashima, biology professor at
> Tokyo University, succeeded in growing eyeballs in tadpoles using
> cells taken from frog embryos, Kyodo said.
>
> "Since the basics of body-making is common to that of human beings, I
> think this might help enable people to regain vision in the future,"
> Asashima was quoted as saying.
>
> The group, after soaking undifferentiated cells from the embryo of a
> Platanna frog in a special medium, transplanted the eyeball into a
> tadpole whose left eye had been removed before it was hatched, Kyodo
> said.
>
> A week after the transplant, Asashima's group confirmed the tadpole's
> eyeball was connected to the optic nerves and there were no rejection
> symptoms, it said.
> --
> Robert J. Berger
> UltraDevices, Inc.
> 257 Castro Street, Suite 223 Mt. View CA. 94041
> Email: rberger@ultradevices.com http://www.ultradevices.com
> Voice: 650-237-0334 Fax: 408-490-2868

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