Coloboma is a hole in one of the structures of the eye which occurs when the prenatal eye is developing and the choroid fissure fails to close.
Researchers at Heidelberg University and the University of Freiburg found the growth factor that controlled the flow of tissue which is essential for eye development. Using 4D microscopy, researchers determined that directed tissue flow transforms the optic vesicle into the optic cup during eye development.
"We now know that an organ forms through flow, not incrementally in steps. If the flow is stopped, coloboma develops. And we found the source of the stem cells in the eye, which is of major importance in stem cell research," said Professor Jochen Wittbrodt of the Heidelberg Center for Organismal Studies.
By Ruchi Singh
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
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