Many forms of blindness result from the dysfunction or loss of retinal photoreceptors. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) hold great potential for the modeling of these diseases or as potential therapeutic agents. However, to fulfill this promise, a remaining challenge is to induce human iPSC to recreate in vitro key structural and functional features of the native retina, in particular the presence of photoreceptors with outer-segment discs and light-sensitivity. Here we report that hiPSC can, in a highly autonomous manner, recapitulate spatiotemporally each of the main steps of retinal development observed in vivo and form 3-dimensional retinal cups that contain all major retinal cell types arranged in their proper layers. Moreover, the photoreceptors in our hiPSC-derived retinal tissue achieve advanced maturation, showing the beginning of outer-segment-disc formation and photosensitivity. This success brings us one step closer to the anticipated use of hiPSC for disease modeling and open possibilities for future therapies.

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Neutropenia is a serious complication found in immunocompromised patients, particularly those with cancer and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The etiology of neutropenia is multifactorial and can be caused by the direct effects of HIV infection, cytotoxic antineoplastic therapy, and malignancy. The main complication of neutropenia is a bloodstream infection caused by gram-positive bacteria (GPB) and gram-negative bacteria (GNB). GPB, specifically S. epidermidis, tend to affect cancer patients more often than GNB. However, GNB such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been associated with more serious infections. We report a case of neutropenic fever caused by a GNB, Pantoea agglomerans, in a 47-year-old Afro-Caribbean man with HIV and metastatic salivary adenocarcinoma. Pantoea agglomerans is a non-spore forming rod typically isolated from plants, fruits, and fecal matter, and is rarely pathogenic in humans. In the current literature, cases of P. agglomerans have been documented primarily in the pediatric population secondary to penetrating wound trauma. To our knowledge, this is the first case of spontaneous neutropenic fever secondary to P. agglomerans bacteremia in an Afro-Caribbean adult male.