Spotted on Slashdot, Stem Cell Treatment To Cure the Most Common Cause of Blindness. Specifically, this treatment, if it passes the trials, should be a cure for AMD, age related macualr degeneration. As I have a form or juvenile macular degeneration, I have high hoped for some broader applicability.

The Times Online reports that researchers from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London and Moorfields eye hospital have developed stem cell therapy that can treat age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness. They are currently moving the treatment through the regulatory approval process, and clinical trials are expected to start within two years. Quoting: “Under the new treatment, embryonic stem cells are transformed into replicas of the missing cells. They are then placed on an artificial membrane which is inserted in the back of the retina. … [Professor Pete Coffey, director of the London Project to Cure Blindness] said the treatment would take ‘less than an hour, so it really could be considered as an outpatient procedure. We are trying to get it out as a common therapy.’

The research group, The London Project to Cure Blindness “aims to make the most of human embryonic stem cells to prevent blindness and restore sight in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by 2011. Our goal is to replace cells essential for “seeing” lost by disease at the back of the eye.” Definitely a lofty goal! These researchers describe the project in more detail:

Neuralised human embryonic stem cells (HESCs) represent a potentially unlimited source of progenitor cells for use in the repair of retinal disease. In addition to the genesis of retinal neurons, there is now compelling evidence that RPE can also be derived from undifferentiated HESCs. These ES‐derived RPE cells not only appear to behave like normal RPE in culture but also have a gene expression profile more akin to primary human RPE. This is of particular clinical relevance to any RPE based transplantation strategies designed to treat AMD. HESCs will be used to generate precursors of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells in vitro in order to provide a candidate therapeutic for age related macular degeneration (ARMD). The previously used method will be optimised with respect to RPE cells to improve both yield and reproducibility. RPE transplantation has already been shown to be capable of restoring the subretinal anatomy and improving photoreceptor function in a variety of retinal diseases. The sourcing of appropriate cell lines with the prerequisite characteristics of RPE will allow transplantation to enter the mainstream of retinal therapy at a time when the treatment of previously blinding retinal diseases is finally becoming a reality.

I shot these folks an email asking about how broadly their treatment might work, but have yet to hear back. I do not see why the treatment would not work for most, if not all, retinal degenerative diseases, but, hey, I am not a doctor. Keep your fingers crossed!

Tags: age related macular degeneration, AMD, article, blindness, degerantion, london project, macualr, macular degeneration, retina, retinal disease, slashdot, stem cell therapy, treatment

This entry was posted on April 21, 2009 at 4:54 pm and is filed under large print. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.