Mapping of the Developmental Atlas of the Visual System and Research on Embryonic Neurogenesis Phenomena
6 juillet 2026 mis à jour par: Sheng Liu
This research studies how nerve cells in the human embryonic retina, visual brain regions, and brain areas responsible for higher cognitive functions grow, develop, and form interconnected functional networks.
Eye tissue, visual brain tissue, and other brain tissue linked to advanced cognitive functions will be collected from embryos whose pregnancies were terminated due to medical conditions or illnesses. High-throughput single-cell and single-nucleus sequencing will be utilized to map gene activity patterns and developmental growth pathways of retinal nerve cells.
Multiple testing tools will be combined to analyze these brain and retinal cells: Patch-seq (single-cell patch-clamp sequencing), high-density microelectrode arrays (MEA), and two-photon calcium imaging. With these tools, systematic measurements will be performed on the electrical activity, physical shape, synaptic connection patterns, and signal coding functions of neurons in the retina and visual brain regions. Multi-modal tissue maps and a public database will be constructed to store all collected research data.
Immunofluorescence staining will also be applied to compare structural differences and nerve fiber connections between visual brain regions and higher cognitive brain areas. The regenerative capacity and neuron formation process of embryonic brain stem cells, as well as the migration paths of developing neurons, will be tracked.
Overall, this study aims to fully uncover the neural foundation of visual signal processing, and identify the molecular regulatory networks that control nerve tissue development during the embryonic stage.
Aperçu de l'étude
Statut
Recrutement
Intervention / Traitement
Type d'étude
Observationnel
Inscription (Estimé)
200
Contacts et emplacements
Cette section fournit les coordonnées de ceux qui mènent l'étude et des informations sur le lieu où cette étude est menée.
Coordonnées de l'étude
- Nom: Sheng Liu, Doctor
- Numéro de téléphone: 13622284795
- E-mail: liush87@mail.sysu.edu.cn
Sauvegarde des contacts de l'étude
- Nom: Jing Su
- Numéro de téléphone: 15999937669
- E-mail: sujing@gzzoc.com
Lieux d'étude
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Guangdong
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Guangzhou, Guangdong, Chine, 510060
- Recrutement
- Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University
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Contact:
- Sheng Liu
- Numéro de téléphone: 13622284795
- E-mail: liush87@mail.sysu.edu.cn
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Chercheur principal:
- Sheng Liu
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Critères de participation
Les chercheurs recherchent des personnes qui correspondent à une certaine description, appelée critères d'éligibilité. Certains exemples de ces critères sont l'état de santé général d'une personne ou des traitements antérieurs.
Critère d'éligibilité
Âges éligibles pour étudier
- Enfant
- Adulte
- Adulte plus âgé
Accepte les volontaires sains
Oui
Méthode d'échantillonnage
Échantillon non probabiliste
Population étudiée
This study recruits pregnant patients undergoing termination of pregnancy at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, divided into an embryonic developmental abnormality group (Abnormal group) and a normal control group (Normal group), with a planned enrollment of 100 subjects per group.
The gestational age of embryos ranges from 9 to 40 weeks.
Two types of samples are included: retrospective cryopreserved specimens from the hospital biobank collected between January 2025 and January 2026 (20 cases per group, with donors having signed informed consent for specimen research use); and prospective fresh specimens collected between February 2026 and June 2027 (80 cases per group).
All participants sign study-specific written informed consent.
La description
Inclusion Criteria:
- Abnormal group: Embryos with clinically confirmed embryonic developmental abnormalities requiring medical termination of pregnancy; intact retinal, visual and cognitive brain tissues available for snATAC-seq, scRNA-seq, electrophysiology, proteomics and RNAscope detection.
Normal group: Embryos confirmed free of any ocular and central nervous developmental defects by prenatal examination and anatomical observation; intact embryonic ocular and brain tissues meeting all experimental detection standards.
All sample donors have signed written informed consent authorizing the use of residual embryonic tissues for scientific research, with no monetary compensation involved.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Embryonic ocular or brain tissues with severe necrosis, structural damage or microbial contamination that cannot support multi-omics and functional experiments.
Donors who withdraw or refuse the consent for tissue research use. Samples with irregular collection, transportation or cryopreservation procedures resulting in tissue degradation and failure to meet experimental requirements.
Plan d'étude
Cette section fournit des détails sur le plan d'étude, y compris la façon dont l'étude est conçue et ce que l'étude mesure.
Comment l'étude est-elle conçue ?
Détails de conception
Cohortes et interventions
Groupe / Cohorte |
Intervention / Traitement |
|---|---|
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Abnormal Group
Embryos with confirmed embryonic developmental abnormalities, gestational age 9-40 weeks, from patients receiving clinically indicated termination of pregnancy.
Tissue collection and multi-omics sequencing analysis will be performed on ocular and brain tissues.
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This observational study collects discarded human embryonic ocular and brain tissues from patients undergoing clinically indicated termination of pregnancy, with gestational age ranging from 9 to 40 weeks.
We separate retinal, visual cortex and high-order cognitive cortex tissues, then perform single-cell multi-omics sequencing including transcriptome, chromatin accessibility and proteome profiling.
The data is used to explore retinal neurogenesis, neuronal developmental trajectories and multi-modal cell atlas of embryonic visual system, without any clinical intervention on participants.
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Normal Group
Embryonic tissues derived from normally developing embryos with gestational age of 9 to 40 weeks, collected from pregnant women who voluntarily received clinically indicated termination of pregnancy.
Ocular and brain tissues will be collected and subjected to multi-omics sequencing analysis consistent with the abnormal group.
|
This observational study collects discarded human embryonic ocular and brain tissues from patients undergoing clinically indicated termination of pregnancy, with gestational age ranging from 9 to 40 weeks.
We separate retinal, visual cortex and high-order cognitive cortex tissues, then perform single-cell multi-omics sequencing including transcriptome, chromatin accessibility and proteome profiling.
The data is used to explore retinal neurogenesis, neuronal developmental trajectories and multi-modal cell atlas of embryonic visual system, without any clinical intervention on participants.
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Que mesure l'étude ?
Principaux critères de jugement
Mesure des résultats |
Description de la mesure |
Délai |
|---|---|---|
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Single-cell transcriptomic atlas and developmental trajectory of embryonic retinal and visual cortical neurons
Délai: Day 1 of tissue collection
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Perform single-cell RNA sequencing on human embryonic eye and brain tissues from abnormal developmental group and normal control group.
Identify all cell subtypes in retina and visual-associated cognitive cortex, reconstruct continuous developmental trajectory of retinal neurogenesis and visual cortical neurons, and compare neuronal subtype distribution differences between the two groups.
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Day 1 of tissue collection
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Genome-wide chromatin open regions in embryonic visual tissues
Délai: Day 1 of tissue collection
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Genome-wide chromatin open regions are detected via snATAC-seq on embryonic ocular and brain tissues from case and control groups.
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Day 1 of tissue collection
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Differential chromatin accessibility between normal and malformed embryonic visual tissues
Délai: Day 1 of tissue collection
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Differential chromatin accessibility signals are identified via integrated analysis of snATAC-seq and scRNA-seq data from embryonic ocular and brain tissues.
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Day 1 of tissue collection
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Candidate pathogenic genes underlying embryonic visual developmental abnormalities
Délai: Day 1 of tissue collection
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Genes linked to abnormal embryonic visual development are screened based on differential chromatin and transcriptomic profiles.
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Day 1 of tissue collection
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Mesures de résultats secondaires
Mesure des résultats |
Description de la mesure |
Délai |
|---|---|---|
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Action potential firing patterns of embryonic visual neurons
Délai: Day 1 of tissue collection
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Action potential firing patterns are recorded via combined Patch-seq and MEA on primary cultured retinal and visual cortical neurons from case and control embryonic tissues.
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Day 1 of tissue collection
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Synchronous electrical activity of embryonic neuronal networks
Délai: Day 1 of tissue collection
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Neuronal network synchronous electrical activity is recorded via combined Patch-seq and MEA on primary cultured retinal and visual cortical neurons from case and control embryonic tissues.
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Day 1 of tissue collection
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Spatial expression localization of key visual development genes detected by RNAscope
Délai: The day 1 of embryonic tissue collection after clinical termination of pregnancy
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RNAscope in situ hybridization is conducted on embryonic retinal and brain tissue slices to visualize the spatial distribution and quantitative expression levels of candidate pathogenic genes screened from multi-omics data.
Compare the spatial gene expression differences between normal embryonic visual tissues and tissues with ocular developmental defects.
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The day 1 of embryonic tissue collection after clinical termination of pregnancy
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Differentially expressed proteins identified via global proteome sequencing
Délai: Day 1 of tissue collection
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Global proteome sequencing is performed on embryonic ocular and brain tissues to generate lists of differentially expressed proteins linked to retinal neurogenesis and visual cortical development.
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Day 1 of tissue collection
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Spatial localization and expression abundance of proteins via immunohistochemistry
Délai: Day 1 of tissue collection
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Immunohistochemistry staining is applied on embryonic tissue sections to detect spatial localization and expression abundance of core differentially expressed proteins.
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Day 1 of tissue collection
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Collaborateurs et enquêteurs
C'est ici que vous trouverez les personnes et les organisations impliquées dans cette étude.
Parrainer
Collaborateurs
Publications et liens utiles
La personne responsable de la saisie des informations sur l'étude fournit volontairement ces publications. Il peut s'agir de tout ce qui concerne l'étude.
Publications générales
- Huang W, Xu Q, Liu F, Su J, Xiao D, Tang L, Hao ZZ, Liu R, Xiang K, Bi Y, Miao Z, Liu X, Liu Y, Liu S. Identification of TPBG-Expressing Amacrine Cells in DAT-tdTomato Mouse. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2022 May 2;63(5):13. doi: 10.1167/iovs.63.5.13.
- Huang W, Xu Q, Su J, Tang L, Hao ZZ, Xu C, Liu R, Shen Y, Sang X, Xu N, Tie X, Miao Z, Liu X, Xu Y, Liu F, Liu Y, Liu S. Linking transcriptomes with morphological and functional phenotypes in mammalian retinal ganglion cells. Cell Rep. 2022 Sep 13;40(11):111322. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2022.111322.
- Chen X, Huang Y, Huang L, Huang Z, Hao ZZ, Xu L, Xu N, Li Z, Mou Y, Ye M, You R, Zhang X, Liu S, Miao Z. A brain cell atlas integrating single-cell transcriptomes across human brain regions. Nat Med. 2024 Sep;30(9):2679-2691. doi: 10.1038/s41591-024-03150-z. Epub 2024 Aug 2.
- Wei JR, Xiao D, Tang L, Xu N, Liu R, Shen Y, Xu Z, Sang X, Ge J, Xiang M, Liu S. Neural cell isolation from adult macaques for high-throughput analyses and neurosphere cultures. Nat Protoc. 2023 Jun;18(6):1930-1957. doi: 10.1038/s41596-023-00820-z. Epub 2023 Apr 12.
Dates d'enregistrement des études
Ces dates suivent la progression des dossiers d'étude et des soumissions de résultats sommaires à ClinicalTrials.gov. Les dossiers d'étude et les résultats rapportés sont examinés par la Bibliothèque nationale de médecine (NLM) pour s'assurer qu'ils répondent à des normes de contrôle de qualité spécifiques avant d'être publiés sur le site Web public.
Dates principales de l'étude
Début de l'étude (Réel)
16 janvier 2026
Achèvement primaire (Estimé)
1 juin 2027
Achèvement de l'étude (Estimé)
1 juin 2027
Dates d'inscription aux études
Première soumission
23 juin 2026
Première soumission répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité
6 juillet 2026
Première publication (Réel)
7 juillet 2026
Mises à jour des dossiers d'étude
Dernière mise à jour publiée (Réel)
7 juillet 2026
Dernière mise à jour soumise répondant aux critères de contrôle qualité
6 juillet 2026
Dernière vérification
1 juin 2026
Plus d'information
Termes liés à cette étude
Mots clés
Termes MeSH pertinents supplémentaires
Autres numéros d'identification d'étude
- IIT2025136
Plan pour les données individuelles des participants (IPD)
Prévoyez-vous de partager les données individuelles des participants (DPI) ?
NON
Description du régime IPD
The raw individual-level data contains identifiable embryonic genomic information.
To protect participants' privacy and comply with domestic biomedical research ethics and data security laws, we cannot share the original IPD with external researchers.
Processed analytical results including cell atlas, differential genes and regulatory networks will be released together with related publications.
Ces informations ont été extraites directement du site Web clinicaltrials.gov sans aucune modification. Si vous avez des demandes de modification, de suppression ou de mise à jour des détails de votre étude, veuillez contacter register@clinicaltrials.gov. Dès qu'un changement est mis en œuvre sur clinicaltrials.gov, il sera également mis à jour automatiquement sur notre site Web .