A group of researchers from the Italian Institute of Technology has developed a new retinal prosthesis made from biocompatible nanoparticles of the polymer P3HT-NP. When injected, they have been able to restore vision in rats suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, a retinal disease that causes patients to gradually lose their vision. Still far from reaching the human testing phase, for which there is no date or permit yet, the research team considers this a "promising" option, and if it ultimately becomes effective in humans, it will avoid the surgery and technological complexity required by current prostheses, which require the installation of electrodes in the visual cortex, located in the brain, and which necessitate wires and glasses. The research has been published by the journal Nature Nanotechnology in its edition of this Monday, June 29.
