Viability of the Inner Retina in a Novel Mouse Model of Retinitis Pigmentosa

Retinal prostheses aim to restore vision to patients who are blind from photoreceptor diseases such as Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). All implants target the neural cells in the inner retina, the retinal ganglion cells (RGCs). Our research focuses on further understanding the disease process of RP during mid to late stages when total loss of photoreceptors has occurred and significant remodeling of inner retinal neurons has taken place. We have used a novel transgenic mouse, Rd1-FTL, to observe different degenerative stages of RP. Notably, in the aged retina we have evidence that there was gross inner retinal remodeling as well as glial dysfunction that occurred in confined regions in the central retina that worsened overtime. Consequently, the timing of implantation and location of the prosthesis both need to account for the state of the retina at different stages in the disease process.