An international research team has developed light-sensitive nanoparticles that can be injected into the eye to stimulate nerve cells in the deteriorating retina, paving the way for a new type of retinal prosthesis.
The particles are made of light-sensitive graphitic carbon nitride and are about 300 nanometers in diameter. They are hollow, and their design is partly inspired by the chloroplasts in plants. When injected into the eye, they settle near the retinal ganglion cells that transmit information to the brain. When light strikes them, they trigger electrical and chemical processes that activate the nerve cells and send signals to the brain.
The trials are being led by an international team headed by Aarhus University in Denmark, including researchers from the University of Chicago, the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Copenhagen and Aarhus University Hospital.
In experiments on mice with advanced retinitis pigmentosa, researchers observed activity in the visual cortex and behavioral responses to light. Retinal tissue from pigs also showed that LED light activates ganglion cells in the presence of the particles. Previously, the team had demonstrated that the particles activate individual cells and synchronize the heart muscle cells' pulses.
“What’s interesting is that we’re trying to utilize the neurons that are still functioning in the retina,” says Menglen Chen, associate professor at Aarhus University who led the research. “Instead of genetically modifying them, we’re using particles to create a new connection between light and the cells.” She adds, “What we’re demonstrating is a light-induced response in a deteriorating retina, which is an early step, not a complete prosthetic.”
Henry Lennon, a retina specialist and participant in the study, explains that current options are limited: "Gene therapies are specific to particular mutations, optogenetics requires genetically modifying cells, and electronic implants require surgery. That's why it's worth testing strategies that work regardless of the cause of the disease."
This project began in 2019. The research evolved from nanofibers to hollow particles, and from activating a single cell to the entire retina. In 2024, the team filed an international patent application, and in 2025, Chen received a Pioneer Innovator grant for the Retinano project, dedicated to developing the technology for the eye.
There is still a need to study the long-term safety and function, improve the delivery method, and document the material's behavior in the eye before any clinical trial.
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