Harvard researchers explore macular degeneration through a new lens
For decades, scientists have turned to the retina of the humble laboratory mouse as an ideal model organism for understanding how neurons connect to form circuits in the brain. But as a model for vision and vision-related diseases, mice simply aren’t equipped. The problem, said Joshua Sanes, the Jeff C. Tarr Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and director of the Center for Brain Science, is that they lack a fovea — a small, specialized area in the retina that makes sharp central vision possible. Among mammals, only primates have a fovea. The fovea has been well-studied for decades. Researchers have demonstrated both functional and structural specialization in foveal cells, but the mechanisms that give rise to the differences between the fovea and the peripheral retina have remained a mystery. To begin unraveling that mystery, a team of researchers led by Sanes applied high-throughput genetic sequencing methods to create the first cellular atlas...