Lens regeneration

In the 21st century, an experimental medical trial has been performed in humans as this is a promising technique for treating cataracts, especially in children.

In 1781, Charles Bonnet found that a salamander had regenerated an eye one year after most of it, including the lens, had been removed.

[1] Vincenzo Colucci made a histological study of the phenomenon in newts, publishing his finding that it regenerated from the iris in 1891.

[6] Other animals in which lens regeneration has been observed include cats, chickens, dogs, fish, mice, rats and Xenopus frogs.

The technique was performed successfully in experiments in rabbits and macaques, and subsequently in a trial of twelve children under two years in China who had been born with cataracts.

[13] The Haotian, Hong, Jie, Shan trial conducted experiments on mice, rabbits and cultured human cells and reported that the proteins produced by the PAX6 and BMI1 genes were essential for regeneration of existing lens epithelial cells (LECs) lining the lens capsule.