医学工作者梦想着人工再造视网膜能为世界范围内各种视网膜疾病所致的不可治愈盲患者带来一线希望，但理想视网膜移植物来源仍是难以逾越的困难。2011年体外三维培养的胚胎干细胞（ESC）源性无血管的视网膜神经上皮层为人工再造视网膜奠定了坚实的基础。然而，要培育出ESC源性的功能化视网膜必须先诱导其血管化。microRNA(miRNAs)是比眼发育相关基因如Pax6/CRX/Notch等通路更上游的、作用更广泛的调控因子。miRNA是否能调控ESC源性视网膜神经上皮层血管化？因此，本研究将根据小鼠视网膜血管发育的时序特点和利用miRNA芯片技术筛选出调控小鼠视网膜血管发育过程中起关键作用的一个或多个miRNA；并利用Tet-on腺病毒和体外三维共培养系统，深入探讨时序性表达miRNA调控ESC源性的视网膜神经上皮层血管化的作用及其机制，为再造功能化视网膜奠定基础；同时也为血管发育生物学提供新理论。

Medical workers have been dreaming of regenerating an artificial retina to bring a glimmer of hope to the incurable blind patients with retinal diseases. However, the source of ideal retinal graft remains an insurmountable problem. Until 2011, the embryonic stem cell (ESC)-derived neural retina without vascular in vitro three-dimensional culture system laid a solid foundation for the regeneration of artificial retina. Vascularization is the most important factor to make ESC-derived neural retina function. microRNAs (miRNAs), upstream regulators of genes involved in eye development such as Pax6/CRX/Notch pathway, have more important and stronger effects on the retinal vascularization. Therefore, we aim to screen out one or more miRNAs which play critical roles in retinal vascularization based on the characteristics of mice retinal vascular development and miRNA array; and further investigate the effects and underlying mechanism of the temporal and sequential expression of miRNA on regulating the vascularization of ESC-derived neural retina by Adeno-X Tet-on and in vitro three-dimensional culture system. This study will lay a foundation for regenerating the artificial retina, and also provide new insights for vascular developmental biology.