Retinal degeneration is caused by a group of progressive neurological disorders that may arise from genetic mutations and environmental/pathological damage, leading to visual impairment or visual loss. Common retinal degenerative diseases in adults include age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and retinitis pigmentosa. The prevalence of these diseases ranges from millions to hundreds of millions [1,2,3,4] and is projected to increase with aging global population.

Current treatments for retinal degeneration include cell transplantation, drug delivery, and gene therapy [5,6,7]. Gene therapy has produced transformational knowledge in retinal treatments by examining the transient expression of different types of enzymes, transcription factors, and genes that mediate retinal development and function. These factors are currently highly examined as potential therapeutics for retinal repair and regeneration. Moreover, genetic engineering is an emerging research field, in which direct manipulation of one or more genes can be used to determine their function or role. For example, gene knockdown is often utilized to determine the role of a certain gene by observing how the function or development of the retina is altered through the loss-of-function of the gene.

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