Finn Hallböök – Stem cells, retinal development and regeneration
Our research concerns how neurons in the retina of the eye are formed from stem cells and neuronal precursor cells. The goal is to understand what goes wrong in nerve cell formation when the retina cancer, retinoblastoma, develops in the eye. Our research also aims at harnessing the control of neuron formation towards either forming new neurons or becoming supportive glial cells in the event of injuries or diseases.
We use human embryonic stem cell (hESC)-derived model system where retina is formed in culture. These “mini-eyes”, also called retinal organoids, are 3-dimensional ex vivo tissue systems of human retina established after differentiation of hESCs. The hESCs are induced to form brain-neuroepithelium and via the prosencephalic eye-field, neural retina of the optic cup is formed.
Retinal organoids recapitulate formation of retinal structure and cells
The organoids form an organised tissue with all cell types in a laminated and functional structure. They recapitulate the development of normal human retina and are therefore a powerful and versatile model to study the development of human retina. The retinoids are also used to study and model retinoblastoma carcinogenesis with focus on the early events in the carcinogenesis. We also use well-studied animal models for the eye as a complement to the organoids and to develop new research questions and hypotheses.
Our research projects
- Studies of neurogenesis in the vertebrate retina.
- Studies of the early events during retinoblastoma carcinogenesis in the human hESC-derived model for retinal development.
- Establishment of a stem cell derived human retina model and studies of human neurogenesis in vitro.
- Studies of endogenous retinal stem- and progenitor cells. The dicotomy of retinal Müller cells: supporters of retinal homeostasis or a source for new neurons and eye growth.
Gruppmedlemmar
Publications
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Part of Cellular Oncology, p. 209-227, 2024
- DOI for Inhibition of high level E2F in a RB1 proficient MYCN overexpressing chicken retinoblastoma model normalizes neoplastic behaviour
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Part of Oncogenesis, 2022
- DOI for MYCN induces cell-specific tumorigenic growth in RB1-proficient human retinal organoid and chicken retina models of retinoblastoma
- Download full text (pdf) of MYCN induces cell-specific tumorigenic growth in RB1-proficient human retinal organoid and chicken retina models of retinoblastoma
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Aniridia with PAX6 mutations and narcolepsy
Part of Journal of Sleep Research, 2020
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Part of Genome Biology and Evolution, p. 1918-1928, 2020
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Deletion in the Bardet-Biedl Syndrome Gene TTC8 Results in a Syndromic Retinal Degeneration in Dogs
Part of Genes, 2020
- DOI for Deletion in the Bardet-Biedl Syndrome Gene TTC8 Results in a Syndromic Retinal Degeneration in Dogs
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High-Resolution Imaging of Tumor Spheroids and Organoids Enabled by Expansion Microscopy
Part of Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 2020
- DOI for High-Resolution Imaging of Tumor Spheroids and Organoids Enabled by Expansion Microscopy
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Part of Current Eye Research, p. 34-45, 2019
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An ABCA4 loss-of-function mutation causes a canine form of Stargardt disease
Part of PLOS Genetics, 2019
- DOI for An ABCA4 loss-of-function mutation causes a canine form of Stargardt disease
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Changes in brain architecture are consistent with altered fear processing in domestic rabbits
Part of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, p. 7380-7385, 2018
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Part of Developmental Dynamics, p. 630-641, 2018
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Heterogeneity in retinoblastoma: a tale of molecules and models
Part of CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE, 2017
- DOI for Heterogeneity in retinoblastoma: a tale of molecules and models
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Part of PLOS Genetics, 2017
- DOI for The evolution of Sex-linked barring alleles in chickens involves both regulatory and coding changes in CDKN2A
- Download full text (pdf) of The evolution of Sex-linked barring alleles in chickens involves both regulatory and coding changes in CDKN2A
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Part of Molecular Vision, p. 1405-1420, 2016
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Part of PLOS ONE, 2016
- DOI for Endothelin B Receptors on Primary Chicken Müller Cells and the Human MIO-M1 Müller Cell Line Activate ERK Signaling via Transactivation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptors
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Horizontal Cells, the Odd Ones Out in the Retina, Give Insights into Development and Disease
Part of Frontiers in Neuroanatomy, 2016
- DOI for Horizontal Cells, the Odd Ones Out in the Retina, Give Insights into Development and Disease
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Lineage tracing of horizontal and photoreceptor cells in the embryonic chicken retina
Part of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, 2016
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Part of PLOS ONE, 2016
- DOI for Neuroprotection by α2-Adrenergic Receptor Stimulation after Excitotoxic Retinal Injury: A Study of the Total Population of Retinal Ganglion Cells and Their Distribution in the Chicken Retina
- Download full text (pdf) of Neuroprotection by α2-Adrenergic Receptor Stimulation after Excitotoxic Retinal Injury: A Study of the Total Population of Retinal Ganglion Cells and Their Distribution in the Chicken Retina
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Part of PLOS Genetics, 2015
- DOI for A Genomic Duplication is Associated with Ectopic Eomesodermin Expression in the Embryonic Chicken Comb and Two Duplex-comb Phenotypes
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Adding another piece to the retinoblastoma puzzle
Part of Cell Death and Disease, 2015
- DOI for Adding another piece to the retinoblastoma puzzle
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Part of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, p. 5933-5945, 2015
- DOI for Alpha2-Adrenergic-Agonist Brimonidine Stimulates Negative Feedback and Attenuates Injury-Induced Phospho-ERK and Dedifferentiation of Chicken Müller Cells
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Part of Cell Death Discovery, 2015
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Whole Retinal Explants from Chicken Embryos for Electroporation and Chemical Reagent Treatments
Part of Journal of Visualized Experiments, 2015
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Specific spatial distribution of caspase-3 in normal lenses
Part of Acta Ophthalmologica, p. 289-292, 2014
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Part of Cell Cycle, p. 408-417, 2014
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Part of Cell Cycle, p. 3698-3706, 2014
- DOI for The terminal basal mitosis of chicken retinal Lim1 horizontal cells is not sensitive to cisplatin-induced cell cycle arrest
- Download full text (pdf) of The terminal basal mitosis of chicken retinal Lim1 horizontal cells is not sensitive to cisplatin-induced cell cycle arrest
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Part of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, p. 3385-3394, 2014
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Part of Journal of Molecular Neuroscience, p. 615-628, 2013
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Evolution of TUNEL-labeling in the Rat Lens After In Vivo Exposure to Just Above Threshold Dose UVB
Part of Current Eye Research, p. 880-885, 2013
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Part of Differentiation, p. 11-19, 2013
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Part of PLOS ONE, 2013
- DOI for Heterogenic Final Cell Cycle by Chicken Retinal Lim1 Horizontal Progenitor Cells Leads to Heteroploid Cells with a Remaining Replicated Genome
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Part of Physiological Genomics, p. 367-376, 2013
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Part of PLOS ONE, 2012
- DOI for GABA maintains the proliferation of progenitors in the developing chick ciliary marginal zone and non-pigmented ciliary epithelium:
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Part of PLOS ONE, 2012
- DOI for Platelet-derived growth factor over-expression in retinal progenitors results in abnormal retinal vessel formation
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Part of PLOS ONE, 2012
- DOI for Sonic Hedgehog-Signalling Patterns the Developing Chicken Comb as Revealed by Exploration of the Pea-comb Mutation
- Download full text (pdf) of Sonic Hedgehog-Signalling Patterns the Developing Chicken Comb as Revealed by Exploration of the Pea-comb Mutation
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Part of PLOS Genetics, 2012
- DOI for The Rose-comb Mutation in Chickens Constitutes a Structural Rearrangement Causing Both Altered Comb Morphology and Defective Sperm Motility
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Part of PLoS Genetics, 2011
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Part of Neurogenetics, p. 211-221, 2011
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Inactivation of Pmel Alters Melanosome Shape But Has Only a Subtle Effect on Visible Pigmentation
Part of PLoS Genetics, 2011
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Part of Developmental Biology, p. 296-308, 2011
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Part of Visual Neuroscience, p. 149-157, 2010
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Part of Upsala Journal of Medical Sciences, p. 65-80, 2010
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Pax2 Is Expressed in a Subpopulation of Muller Cells in the Central Chick Retina
Part of Developmental Dynamics, p. 1858-1866, 2010
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Whole genome resequencing reveals loci under selection during chicken domestication
Part of Nature, p. 587-591, 2010
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Copy number variation in intron 1 of SOX5 causes the Pea-comb phenotype in chickens
Part of PLoS Genetics, 2009
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Part of Journal of neuroendocrinology, p. 208-216, 2009
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Part of Developmental Biology, p. 105-113, 2009
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Part of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, p. 424-431, 2009
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Part of Retrovirology, p. 68, 2009
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The Dominant white mutation in the PMEL17 gene does not cause visual impairment in chickens
Part of Veterinary Ophthalmology, p. 292-298, 2009
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Part of BMC Developmental Biology, p. 46, 2008
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Part of Gene Expression Patterns, p. 117-123, 2008
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The amphioxus genome illuminates vertebrate origins and cephalochordate biology
Part of Genome Research, p. 1100-1111, 2008
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Part of Molecular Vision, p. 1050-1063, 2008
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Part of Developmental Neurobiology, p. 1777-1788, 2007
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Neurotransmitter phenotype-specific expression changes in developing sympathetic neurons
Part of Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, p. 397-408, 2007
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A genomic view of the sea urchin nervous system
Part of Developmental Biology, p. 434-460, 2006
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Part of Molecular biology and evolution, p. 10-22, 2006
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Part of European journal of histochemistry, p. 147-154, 2006
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Formation and evolution of the chordate neurotrophin and Trk receptor genes.
Part of Brain Behav Evol, p. 133-44, 2006
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Formation and evolution of the chordate neurotrophin and Trk receptor genes
Part of Brain, behavior, and evolution, p. 133-144, 2006
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The genome of the sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Part of Science, p. 941-952, 2006
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Three insulin-relaxin-like genes in Ciona intestinalis
Part of Peptides, p. 2535-2546, 2006
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Part of Ann N Y Acad Sci, p. 357-9, 2005
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Part of Ann N Y Acad Sci, p. 426-428, 2005
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GDNF, Ret, GFRalpha1 and 2 in the adult rat retino-tectal system after optic nerve transection
Part of Experimental Neurology, p. 487-489, 2004
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GDNF, Ret, GFRα1 and 2 in the adult rat retino-tectal system after optic nerve transection
Part of Experimental Neurology, p. 487-499, 2004
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Part of Development, p. 1343-1251, 2004
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Part of Pharmaceutical research, p. 373-381, 2003
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Part of Pharmaceutical research, p. 373-381, 2003
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Generation of retinal ganglion cells is modulated by caspase-dependent programmed cell death
Part of European Journal of Neuroscience, p. 1744-1750, 2003
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Part of Journal of Structural and Functional Genomics, p. 53-63, 2003
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Part of European Journal of Pharmacology, p. 85-94, 2003
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Part of Brain Research. Molecular Brain Research, p. 30-37, 2003
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Biotin decreases retinal apoptosis and induces eye malformations in the early chick embryo
Part of NeuroReport, p. 297-299, 2002
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Part of Mechanisms of Development, p. 161-165, 2002
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Part of Genome Research, p. 1910-1920, 2002
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Part of Development, p. 471-479, 2001
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Analysis of subcellular location of bestrophin in transfected RPE cell lines
Part of Gene Function and Disease, p. 128-133, 2000
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Gene functional analysis in nervous system
Part of Methods in Enzymology, p. 148-167, 2000
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Gene functional analysis in the nervous system
Part of Methods in Enzymology, p. 148-167, 2000
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Evolution of the vertebrate neurotrophin and Trk receptor gene families
Part of Current Opinion in Neurobiology, p. 616-621, 1999
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Evolution of the vertebrate neurotrophin and Trk receptor gene families
Part of Current Opinion in Neurobiology, p. 616-621, 1999
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Part of Neuroscience, p. 137-150, 1998
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Part of Journal of Neuroscience, p. 8700-8711, 1998
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Part of Brain Research. Molecular Brain Research, p. 256-267, 1998
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Part of J. Comp. Neurol., p. 408-416, 1998
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Part of Journal of Comparative Neurology, p. 408-416, 1998
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Part of Antisense and Nucleic Acid Drug Development, p. 89-100, 1997
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Part of International Journal of Developmental Biology, p. 725-732, 1997
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Part of Journal of Neurobiology, p. 1019-1033, 1997
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Human mast cells express functional TrkA and are a source of nerve growth factor
Part of European Journal of Immunology, p. 2295-2301, 1997
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Molecular phylogeny and evolution of the neurotrophins from monotremes and marsupials
Part of Journal of Molecular Evolution, p. 311-321, 1997
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Part of Biotechnic & Histochemistry, p. 289-94, 1996
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Expression of neurotrophins and trk receptors in the avian retina
Part of Journal of Comparative Neurology, p. 664-676, 1996
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Part of European Journal of Neuroscience, p. 116-128, 1995
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Neurotrophins and their receptors in chicken neuronal development
Part of International Journal of Developmental Biology, p. 855-868, 1995
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Differential actions of neurotrophins in the locus coeruleus and basal forebrain.
Part of Experimental Neurology, p. 72-8, 1993
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Expression of neurotrophin-4 mRNA during oogenesis in Xenopus laevis.
Part of International Journal of Developmental Biology, p. 239-45, 1992
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Part of EMBO Journal, p. 269-75, 1991
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Part of Neuron, p. 845-58, 1991