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China's scientists use tellurium to restore vision in mice, let monkeys see infrared
Chinese researchers have reportedly made a breakthrough in artificial vision technology using a rare mineral called tellurium. This development could one day help restore sight to the blind, perhaps even enhancing it beyond natural capabilities.
The breakthrough was made by researchers at Fudan University in Shanghai, who developed an artificial retina implant composed of tellurium nanowires. These wires, the team reports, were then implanted into blind mice who miraculously regained their vision.
The scientists also tested the new technology on a blind monkey, which likewise showed a marked improvement in vision. The team also implanted the nanowires into a sighted monkey which, it is claimed, gained the ability to see infrared light. This is very interesting as this electromagnetic wavelength is ordinarily invisible to mammals.
So why did the researchers select tellurium, you might ask? Well, tellurium is a rare element with excellent photoelectric properties. This means it can readily capture light, including infrared radiation.
The mineral can also be used to convert infrared light into electrical signals without needing other equipment. This mimics how photoreceptor cells in a healthy retina work, i.e., they convert light into signals your brain interprets as images.
The team created tiny nanowires of tellurium just 150 nanometres thick, or a thousand times thinner than a human hair. These were grown into a mesh-like network called tellurium nanowire networks (TeNWNs).
This network forms a 'nano-scaffold', which was implanted onto the retinas of blind animals. Once implanted into test subjects, the animals showed much restored pupillary responses.
Their visual cortex (the brain's vision center) also showed a marked response to light, and they could locate and respond to visible and infrared light sources. During tests, the formerly blind mice performed nearly as well as sighted mice in pattern recognition tasks.
According to the team, the test mice with the tellurium nano-scaffold could detect and locate infrared LEDs that normal mice couldn't see. In monkeys, the device showed no adverse effects, and in sighted monkeys, it enhanced infrared vision.
China also happens to control the lion's share of its production, giving it strategic mineral is currently used in various applications, including solar panels, semiconductors, thermoelectric devices, and, most recently, neural vision implants.
As for whether this technology could be tested on humans, it is unlikely to happen in the short term as approval for human testing needs to be obtained first. However, a similar technology unveiled in 2023, using the inorganic compound titanium dioxide, is already undergoing clinical trials.
That said, the new tellurium-based version may lead to a new generation of artificial retinas for people with blindness, potentially with infrared capabilities.
This isn't just a vision-restoring device. It's potentially the first step toward bionic eyes, with infrared 'super sight'. It's an intersection of nanotech, neuroscience, and materials science, with real implications for medicine, military, and even human enhancement.
The study has been published in the journal Science.
