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Updated: Dec 13, 2025
Author Spotlight: Advancing Vision Restoration - Stem Cell-Based Therapy for Retinal Diseases
Published on: October 6, 2023
Targeting the photoreceptor cilium for the treatment of retinal diseases
1Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Animal Resistance Biology, Collaborative Innovation Center of Cell Biology in Universities of Shandong, College of Life Sciences, Shandong Normal University, Ji-nan, 250014, China. jran@sdnu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Photoreceptors, as polarised sensory neurons, are essential for light sensation and phototransduction, which are highly dependent on the photoreceptor cilium. Structural defects and/or dysfunction of the photoreceptor cilium caused by mutations in photoreceptor-specific genes or common ciliary genes can lead to retinal diseases, including syndromic and nonsyndromic diseases. In this review, we describe the structure and function of the photoreceptor cilium. We also discuss recent findings that underscore the dysregulation of the photoreceptor cilium in various retinal diseases and the therapeutic potential of targeting ciliary genes in these diseases.
