This Snail’s Eyes Grow Back: Could They Help Humans do the Same?
Human eyes are complex and irreparable, yet they are structurally like those of the freshwater apple snail, which can completely regenerate its eyes. Alice Accorsi, assistant professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of California, Davis, studies how these snails regrow their eyes — with the goal of eventually helping to restore vision in people with eye injuries.
In a new study published Aug. 6 in Nature Communications, Accorsi shows that apple snail and human eyes share many anatomical and genetic features.
“Apple snails are an extraordinary organism,” said Accorsi. “They provide a unique opportunity to study regeneration of complex sensory organs. Before this, we were missing a system for studying full eye regeneration.”
Her team also developed methods for editing the apple snail’s genome, which will allow them to explore the genetic and molecular mechanisms behind eye regeneration.