Summary: Researchers have developed a retinal prosthesis made from tellurium nanowires that restores partial vision in blind mice and grants sensitivity to near-infrared light in primates. The implant is woven into a flexible lattice of light-sensitive nanowires that converts visible and near-infrared light into electrical signals interpretable by the retina and brain.
In genetically blind mice, the device restored pupil reflexes, evoked activity in the visual cortex, and improved performance on pattern-recognition and light-seeking tasks. In macaques, the implant augmented natural vision by enabling detection of wavelengths beyond the human visible spectrum. These results represent a significant advance toward restoring vision in people with retinal disease and exploring safe ways to extend human visual perception.
Key Facts:
- Vision restored in mice: Tellurium nanowire prostheses elicited pupil reflexes and neural responses in the visual cortex of blind mice.
- Near-infrared sensitivity in macaques: Sighted primates implanted with the device gained sensitivity to near-infrared light while maintaining normal vision.
- Biocompatible and safe: Implants were well tolerated in nonhuman primates and showed a favorable safety profile, supporting long-term clinical potential.
Source: AAAS
Overview: A new retinal nanoprosthesis built from tellurium nanowires partially restored light-driven behaviors and cortical responses in blind mice and enabled near-infrared detection in macaques. This technology combines a simple, implantable architecture with broad-spectrum light sensitivity, offering a promising route to restore vision and to augment human sight beyond biological limits.
Many current strategies to restore sight face obstacles such as electrical interference, the need for bulky auxiliary hardware, limited spectral sensitivity, or declining effectiveness over time. To overcome these limitations, the research team led by Shuiyuan Wang engineered a lattice of tellurium nanowires that functions as a self-powered photodetector: it converts incoming light across a wide spectrum, from visible to near-infrared, into electrical signals without external power or complicated supporting devices.
Tellurium is a light-sensitive semiconductor element whose optical and electronic properties are well suited to broadband photodetection. The researchers synthesized tellurium nanowires and interlaced them into an ultrathin, flexible lattice tailored for subretinal implantation. This architecture converts both visible and near-infrared light into photocurrents that stimulate the remaining retinal circuitry, enabling the eye to transmit new light information to the brain.
Preimplantation testing verified the implant’s optoelectronic stability and precise response to spatial light patterns. After subretinal implantation in genetically blind mice, the nanoprosthesis replaced lost photoreceptor function: mice displayed restored light-induced pupil constriction, increased firing in the optic nerve and visual cortex, and improved performance on behavioral tasks that relied on visual cues. Treated mice located LED targets and completed pattern recognition tasks using light intensities far below standard clinical safety thresholds.
The team also tested biocompatibility and function in Macaca fascicularis. In blind macaques the device adhered stably in the subretinal space and produced retina-derived responses to visible and infrared stimuli. In sighted macaques, the implant augmented sensitivity to near-infrared wavelengths without impairing normal vision, demonstrating the potential for both restorative and augmentative applications.
The device’s broadband performance stems from engineered narrow bandgaps, strong optical absorption, and deliberate asymmetries in the nanowire lattice that promote high photocurrents even under zero external bias. The result is a compact retinal prosthesis that avoids bulky intraocular or external components while delivering robust light-to-electrical conversion across a wide spectral range.
Experts note that the long-term impact of such technologies will depend on affordability, scalability, and global accessibility so that patients with retinal disease can benefit widely. The current animal studies provide encouraging safety and efficacy data that support further development toward human clinical trials.
About this neurotech and visual neuroscience research news
Author: Science Press Package
Source: AAAS
Contact: Science Press Package – AAAS
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Closed access. “Tellurium nanowire retinal nanoprosthesis improves vision in models of blindness” by Shuiyuan Wang et al., Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.adu2987
Abstract
Tellurium nanowire retinal nanoprosthesis improves vision in models of blindness
INTRODUCTION
Some animals, such as certain snakes, sense both infrared radiation and visible light to gain a more complete picture of their surroundings. Human retinas lack photoreceptors tuned to infrared wavelengths, which are longer and lower in energy than visible light, so infrared does not normally elicit visual signals. For patients with severe retinal disease—such as advanced macular degeneration—access to a broader light spectrum, including infrared, could improve contrast, support vision in dim conditions, and enhance overall visual function.
RATIONALE
Existing broad-spectrum retinal prostheses often rely on injected nanoparticles or external photodiodes that convert infrared to heat or visible light, but these approaches can require auxiliary hardware and raise safety or durability concerns. The goal was to design a safe, easily implantable retinal prosthesis that intrinsically converts broadband light—including near-infrared—into electrical signals, without external power sources or bulky components. The team developed a tellurium nanowire network that provides efficient photovoltaic conversion across visible to near-infrared wavelengths and can be implanted in the subretinal space of mice and macaques.
RESULTS
Theoretical modeling and experiments showed that tellurium nanowire networks generate large, broadband photocurrents due to lattice asymmetries, defect distributions, and interfacial effects. These properties produced record-high photocurrents and a wider responsive spectrum than many previously reported approaches. In animal tests, the prosthesis remained stable and precisely responsive to light patterns. In blind mice, the device restored optic nerve and cortical responses and improved pupil reflexes and light-guided behaviors at intensities well below clinical safety limits. In nonhuman primates the implant adhered securely in the subretinal space and produced robust responses to both visible and near-infrared stimuli.
CONCLUSION
This work demonstrates the feasibility of a tellurium nanowire retinal nanoprosthesis that converts light into photocurrents at zero external bias across a broad spectrum. The implant activates remaining retinal circuitry, is compatible with a straightforward subretinal implantation procedure, and avoids bulky supporting hardware. In mice, it restored brain responses to light and improved vision-based behaviors; in macaques, it enabled infrared perception without compromising normal vision. These promising animal results support continued development toward human trials and suggest a pathway to safer, more effective, and broader-spectrum vision restoration and augmentation.