A significant scientific advance has allowed the retinas — the ocular structure responsible for capturing light — of pigs and humans to demonstrate the ability to respond to light stimuli, even several hours after the organisms’ death. The research was released on July 11, 2026.
Released on the bioRxiv platform in June 2026, the work presents an unprecedented finding that challenges previous scientific perceptions, indicating that visual function may not cease immediately after biological death, but persist for a limited time.
To make the experiments possible, scientists developed the ECaBox, an acronym in English for “Eye-in-Care-Box”, which acts as a compact intensive care unit dedicated to the eyes. The procedure involves inserting a small tube into the main artery of the eye to continuously supply a fluid enriched with oxygen and several essential nutrients.
In addition to nutrition, the ECaBox device monitors and adjusts pressure and temperature, creating an optimized environment that simulates the physiological conditions of an eye still integrated into a living body.
According to the results of the study, in pig retinas, a resurgence of electrical activity associated with vision was observed for a period of up to 10 to 12 hours after death. In samples from human eyes, collected between six and ten hours after the donor’s death, the technique demonstrated the ability to restore cell viability and reaction to light, confirming its applicability to the human species and challenging the belief that brain death would imply the immediate end of all complex neural functions.
Artificial intelligence in retinal data analysis
Throughout the research, the team used artificial intelligence systems on two crucial fronts for the success of the experiment:
- Vascular mapping: AI generated detailed 3D models of the ocular blood vessel network, ensuring effective distribution of supporting fluid to all regions.
- Cell health assessment: A second AI algorithm analyzed images of the cells to assign a damage score from 0 to 10, verifying that the retinas kept in the ECaBox exhibited significantly better health than those kept on conventional ice.
According to the findings, this innovation represents a potential advance towards full eye transplantation for individuals with total vision loss. The discovery also offers a path to developing and testing drugs to treat blindness using “revitalized” eyes in a laboratory setting, eliminating the need for initial testing on live animals and speeding up the research process.
The researchers emphasize that, since the retina is an extension of the central nervous system, the knowledge obtained about its reactivation can be fundamental for medicine, helping to understand strategies to protect and recover the brain after ischemic events such as cardiac arrest or stroke.
