Reloading the retina by modifying the glial matrix.

Remarkably, removing the major structural elements from astrocytes and Müller glia in the mouse retina makes successful integration and differentiation of stem cells into the retina more likely, as revealed by Kinouchi et al. These ground-breaking results throw up several new conundrums in understanding the process of stem cell recruitment, differentiation and incorporation into the retina, but they also suggest novel ways to treat retinal degenerative diseases.