AI and Novel Reference Map May Advance Retinal Disease Therapies

Scientists from the National Eye Institute (NEI) discovered five subpopulations of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE). Using artificial intelligence (AI), the researchers were able to analyze images of RPE at single-cell resolution to create a reference map that locates each subpopulation within the eye. Their findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, in a paper titled, "Single-cell–resolution map of human retinal pigment epithelium helps discover subpopulations with differential disease sensitivity." "These results provide a first-of-its-kind framework for understanding different RPE cell subpopulations and their vulnerability to retinal diseases, and for developing targeted therapies to treat them," said Michael F. Chiang, MD, director of the NEI, part of the National Institutes of Health. "The findings will help us develop more precise cell and gene therapies for specific degenerative eye diseases," said the study's lead investigator, Kapil Bharti, PhD, who directs the NEI Ocular and Stem Cell Translational Research Section.