Overview

• Scientists have confirmed the golden apple snail as the first genetically tractable non-vertebrate model capable of full regrowth of a camera-type eye.
• Stable CRISPR/Cas9-edited lines lacking PAX6 allow direct probing of its roles in both eye development and adult regeneration.
• Researchers are developing behavioral assays to determine whether regenerated eyes restore functional vision in the snail.
• Extended gene-expression profiling revealed over a thousand genes remain differentially active after 28 days, highlighting candidate molecular regulators for further testing.
• This system offers a blueprint for decoding the genetic orchestration of complex organ regrowth and may inform future therapies for human eye injuries and degenerative diseases.