Silkworm cocoons may aid Macular Degeneration

Silkworm cocoons are the subject of research at Brisbane's Queensland Eye Institute. Researchers are making fibroid cells using the cocoons and are looking to implant the fibroid cells into the eye. It is the goal of researchers to improve upon the current treatment for the wet form of macular degeneration, which involves injections into the eye and only slows the progression of the disease and does not restore photoreceptors in the eye. The plan is to use silk as the support for the photoreceptors so that they can attach and grow and then be transplanted into the eye. Silk has long been used in humans because of its bio-compatibility and was used for hundreds of years in sutures. The research project will need to move into a clinical trial before it can be studied in humans.*