Blind Mice Given Vision Lead Wave of Regenerative Medicine Tools, University College London Study

Mice got new vision and revived heart muscles and monkeys were able to flex muscles in paralyzed hands in research reported today that has extended the boundaries of regenerative medicine beyond the test tube. In one study, night-blind mice implanted with precursor eye cells saw well enough afterwards to swim to a platform in dim light underwater. In another, heart cells in mice that had undergone heart attacks were converted to organ-pumping muscle. In a third, monkeys with arms that were paralyzed with nerve blocks were hooked to a computer that relayed signals from the brain to their hands, enabling them to grasp and move balls.