Retinal Organoids over the Decade

Abstract

Retinal organoids (ROs) are 3D tissue structures derived from embryonic stem cells (ESCs) or induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in vitro, which characterize the structure and function of retina to a certain extent. Since 2011, mouse and human retinal organoids have been available, opening up new avenues for retinal development, disease and regeneration research. Over the decade, great progress has been made in the development of retinal organoids, which is reflected in the improvement of differentiation efficiency and development degree. At the same time, retinal organoids also show broad application prospects, which are widely used in the construction of disease models. On this basis, the mechanism of disease, drug screening and retinal regeneration therapy have been explored. Although retinal organoids have a bright future, the deficiency of their structure and function, the limitations of differentiation and culture, and the difference compared with embryonic retina still remain to be solved.