Treating retinal disease with tiny gold particles

Researchers from Brown University in the US have described the potential use of gold nanoparticles in the treatment of retinal disease.

Writing in ACS Nano, scientists described an experiment where a liquid nanoparticle solution was injected into the retinas of mice with retinal disease.

When a laser was used to project shapes onto the retina, researchers found that the nanoparticles stimulated bipolar and ganglion cells in patterns matching the laser.

They also observed that the laser stimulation of the nanoparticles increased activity in the visual cortices of the mice.

The findings suggest potential for a new type of visual prosthesis system – combining nanoparticles with a small laser device worn in a pair of glasses or goggles.

Dr Jiarui Nie, National Institutes of Health postdoctoral researcher, shared that the technique could transform treatment for degenerative retinal conditions.

“This is a new type of retinal prosthesis that has the potential to restore vision lost to retinal degeneration without requiring any kind of complicated surgery or genetic modification,” she said.

In experiments in mice, no detectable adverse side effects were caused by the nanoparticle solution or the laser stimulation.

“We showed that the nanoparticles can stay in the retina for months with no major toxicity,” Nie shared.

“And we also showed that they can successfully stimulate the visual system. That’s very encouraging for future applications,” she highlighted.