[Research in retinal regenerative medicine].

Although adult neurogenesis is limited in regions, accumulating evidence indicates the existence of neural regeneration even in non-neurogenic regions. In the adult retina, Müller glias generate new neurons in response to injury. Although the naively regenerated neurons were a very few in number, it could be increased by Wnt treatment. Retinal cell transplantation is another strategy for retinal regeneration. The cell source for transplantation will be prepared, for example from ES cells. There are some ways to enhance the integration of grafted cells into the host retina. We need to understand the mechanisms for integration of newly generated cells or grafted cells into existing neural networks, and to determine functional recovery in animal models of the retinal diseases.