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In vitro electroretinogram for the study of the functionality of differentiated retinal pigment epithelium cells

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to develop and test a method to reveal if the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells differentiated from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) support the functions of photoreceptors. hESC-derived RPE (hESC–RPE) cells offer a potent cell source for cell replacement therapy that may be used to prevent certain eye diseases. Methods to assure the functionality of the RPE cells are well warranted. Electroretinograms (ERG) measure the electrophysiological response of the retina to light stimuli. A setup was developed that enables the measurement of ERG in vitro from mice retinas cultured together with hESC–RPE cells. The co-culture of RPE and retinas seems to be a viable tool to assess the functionality of RPE in vitro. However, owing to limited sample size results were somewhat mixed, and thus it was not possible to prove that hESC–RPE cells enhance the ERG response of a mouse retina in vitro. The long-term culturing of the retinas needs to be refined to acquire more conclusive evidence of the supporting role of the RPE and to explore the full potential of the co-culture and ERG methods in assessing RPE functionality.

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Acknowledgments

The study was financially supported by the Academy of Finland, the Finnish Cultural Foundation, Tampere University of Technology’s graduate school, the Emil Aaltonen Foundation, and BioneXt, Tampere. The authors thank the following: the group of Heli Skottman from the Institute of Biomedical Technology, Tampere University and BioMediTech for the kind gift of the hESC–RPE cells used in this study; Hannele Uusitalo-Järvinen for providing the authors with the mice used in this study; Mr. Raimo Peurakoski for his technical competence in the construction of the prototypes; and finally, Elina Konsén for her help with the medium preparations.

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  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Tampere University of Technology and BioMediTech, Hermiankatu 12 B, 33720, Tampere, Finland

    Niina Onnela, Leena Lehtonen, Mikko Koski & Jari Hyttinen

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  1. Niina Onnela
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  2. Leena Lehtonen
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  4. Jari Hyttinen
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Correspondence to Niina Onnela.

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Onnela, N., Lehtonen, L., Koski, M. et al. In vitro electroretinogram for the study of the functionality of differentiated retinal pigment epithelium cells. Med Biol Eng Comput 51, 61–70 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-012-0968-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11517-012-0968-7

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