Fight for Sight is funding Professor Majlinda Lako to grow the next generation of ‘retina in a dish’, which will be healthier and behave more like the real thing.
Doing so opens new possibilities across vision research and could accelerate progress toward real-world treatments for patients.
Professor Lako has spent nearly two decades working in stem cell research, specialising in retinal organoids. She explains:
“They are organoids in the lab, but they have all of the cells of the retina… and we could prove they’re light responsive.”
That moment, when the organoids responded to light, was a breakthrough. A signal that science was moving closer to replicating the human eye in extraordinary detail.
Now, the next leap begins.
How do we grow a retinal organoid in the lab?
Retinal organoids begin with stem cells — remarkable cells that can be guided to form specialised tissues. Over time, these cells organise themselves into layered, three-dimensional retinal structures.
And the process is astonishing to watch.
“They do this by themselves. They’re organised… it’s absolutely fascinating to see that process of embryonic development being recapitulated in the dish,” said Professor Lako.
These lab-grown retinas have already transformed how scientists study conditions such as age-related macular degeneration, inherited retinal diseases and diabetic eye disease.
But they are not yet perfect.
What are the limitations of retinal organoids in the lab?
Current organoids grow beautifully — for a time.
“They grow and grow beautifully, but there comes a point where they grow too much,” explained Professor Lako.
Without blood vessels, nutrients and oxygen cannot penetrate to the centre. A dark, ‘necrotic’ core can develop — necrosis is where cells irreversibly die. In this case, important cells, like retinal ganglion cells, begin to suffer.
Even more critically, today’s organoids lack two essential components of a real retina: blood vessels and immune cells.
And without them, researchers cannot fully model how complex diseases develop.
“If you’re modelling the vascular and barrier pathology of diabetic retinopathy, you really need a retinal microvascular component”, said Professor Lako.
We need to develop retinal organoids that have these components so that we can better understand disease, and test treatments more accurately and move them closer to the clinic.
The model must evolve.
How can we create the next generation of retinal organoids?
Professor Lako’s current Fight for Sight-funded project focuses on developing retinal organoids with blood vessels and immune competence. This new generation of models more accurately reflects the biology of the human eye and is less likely to die.
“We are working on what we call the next generation organoids, which have both blood vessels inside and immune cells,” she said.
This step changes everything.
Diseases such as age-related macular degeneration are not driven by a single cell type. They involve intricate interactions among retinal cells, the blood supply, and the immune response.
“It’s a more realistic disease modelling to have the new generation organoid compared to the one we had before,” she said.
With these advances, researchers can:
- Study disease progression more accurately
- Screen drugs in systems that better mimic human biology
- Prepare more mature cells for transplantation
- Reduce reliance on animal models
- It strengthens the entire research pipeline — from discovery to patient benefit.
"I think we are on the cusp"
Contributing to international understanding
This work is not happening in isolation. Research groups around the world are moving in this direction.
But Professor Lako is clear about the ambition:
“I think we are working in the next generation.”
And this new generation could have global impact.
If successful, these organoids could become a standard model used by researchers internationally — accelerating drug development, refining gene therapies, and improving cell-based approaches.
After years of progress — from early stem cell research to light-responsive organoids, from disease modelling to transplantation studies — momentum is building.
“I think we are on the cusp.”
More accurate models mean better evidence.
Better evidence means stronger clinical trials.
Stronger trials mean treatments reaching people sooner.
This is how we change what’s possible in eye research.
By investing in science that pushes boundaries — and in researchers bold enough to pursue it — we move closer to a world where fewer people lose their sight.
Save Sight. Change Lives.
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