Trial to cure age related blindness to begin in London
Clinical trials could soon begin in a project aimed at restoring sight for some patients. Experts at Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College London (UCL) aim to use stem cells to restore...
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Trial to cure age related blindness to begin in London - Video
Stem Cell Treatment Cures Blindness
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Stem Cell Treatment Cures Blindness - Video
Stem Cell Treatment Restores Man #39;s Vision
Stem cell treatment restores man #39;s vision A man has undergone successful stem cell treatment to restore his eyesight. While he was on a humanitarian work mission in Haiti, Taylor Binns experienced extreme pain in his eye and his vision started to become blurry. After a couple of years, Binns became legally blind; progressively losing his sight due to corneal problems that may have been brought on by wearing contact lenses that were not properly disinfected. There were no other treatment options that would have worked to improve his eyesight, so doctors at Toronto Western Hospital decided to try a new treatment that involved the use of a limbal stem cell transplant. Binns #39; sister turned out to be a perfect match as a donor for the stem sell transplant, so doctors took stem cells from her eyes and put them on the surface of his damaged eyes after removing the scar tissue. Embryonic stem cells have also been used successfully to treat people with blindness by improving their eyesight. One of the women who underwent the embryonic stem cell treatment suffered progressively worsening eyesight, but after the surgery she can use her computer and she is able to see more color and contrast. Do you think stem cell procedures should be an option for medical treatment?From:GeoBeatsNewsViews:1 0ratingsTime:01:10More inNews Politics
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Stem Cell Treatment Restores Man's Vision - Video
ABC NEWS: Stem Cells Cure Blindness
ABC NEWS: Stem Cells Cure BlindnessFrom:stopevilViews:3 0ratingsTime:02:16More inNews Politics
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ABC NEWS: Stem Cells Cure Blindness - Video
Perceptions of Promise art show opens at UAlberta
Perceptions of Promise, the visionary University of Alberta art show that created an interdisciplinary dialogue between artists and scientists, has come home after a successful run that included a high-profile exhibition in New York. "We #39;re so happy that it #39;s finally come home," said U of A printmaking professor Liz Ingram. "Our students can now see it, and that is so important for teaching." The exhibition explores legal, ethical and social issues about stem-cell research through the eyes of U of A and other internationally known artists. Originally conceived by Sean Caulfield, U of A professor of printmaking, and his brother Tim, research director of the U of A #39;s Health Law and Science Policy Group, it brings scientists and visual artists together to broaden discussion of complex topics involving biotechnology. The aim, say contributors, is not to take positions on either side of what can often be a divisive debate, but to provoke thought and inspire questions. "Biomedical research, especially stem-cell research, tends to be very emotional," says Sean Caulfield. "People have this polarized reaction to it. If we had one broad objective, it would be to see how art might bring a more sophisticated dialogue to the debate, because art tends to be able to articulate emotional and psychological things much more effectively. And I think it can bring people together." The works include an elaborately beaded sculpture created from CT scans of a human torso, a luminous tent with ...From:UniversityofAlbertaViews:25 0ratingsTime:04:42More inEducation
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25. Medical Biotechnology: Part Ib. Stem Cells-Therapy and Medical Research NQ
Stem cell research has created national, if not global controversy. Why? What divides our thinking about stem cell research? This section provides the basics on stem cell research including: embryonic stem cells; adult stem cells; and, induced pluri-potent stem cells. Also discussed are their potential therapeutic application for degenerative diseases.From:Albert KauschViews:1 0ratingsTime:36:03More inScience Technology
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25. Medical Biotechnology: Part Ib. Stem Cells-Therapy and Medical Research NQ - Video
April Flowers for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online
Columbia University ophthalmologists and stem cell researchers have developed an experimental treatment for blindness using the patients skin cells, which has improved the vision of blind mice in testing.
The findings of this research, published online in the journal Molecular Medicine, suggest that induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) could soon be used to improve vision in people with macular degeneration and other eye retina diseases. iPS cells are derived from adult human skin cells but have embryonic qualities.
With eye diseases, I think were getting close to a scenario where a patients own skin cells are used to replace retina cells destroyed by disease or degeneration, says Stephen Tsang, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology and pathology & cell biology. Its often said that iPS transplantation will be important in the practice of medicine in some distant future, but our paper suggests the future is almost here.
Scientists were very excited by the advent of human iPS cells when they were discovered in 2007, as they provide a way to avoid the ethical complications of embryonic stem cells. Another advantage is that the iPS cells are created from the patients own skin, eliminating the need for anti-rejection medications. Like the ethically challenged embryonic cells, iPS cells can develop into any type of cell. To-date, no iPS cells have been implanted into people, but many ophthalmologists say that the eye would prove to be ideal testing ground for iPS therapies.
The eye is a transparent and accessible part of the central nervous system, and thats a big advantage. We can put cells into the eye and monitor them every day with routine non-invasive clinical exams, Tsang said. And in the event of serious complications, removing the eye is not a life-threatening event.
Professor Tsang is running a new preclinical iPS study using human iPS cells derived from the skin cells of a 53-year-old donor. The cells were first transformed with a cocktail of growth factors into cells in the retina that lie underneath the eyes light-sensing cells.
Retina cells nourish the light-sensing cells and protect the fragile cells from excess light, heat and cellular debris. In macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, retina cells die, which allows the photoreceptor cells to degenerate causing the patient to lose their vision. It is estimated that 30 percent of people will have some form of macular degeneration by the time they are 75 years old, as it is the leading cause of vision loss in the elderly. Currently, it affects 7 million Americans and that is expected to double by 2020.
The Columbia research team injected the iPS-derived retina cells into the right eyes of 34 mice that had a genetic mutation that caused their retina cells to degenerate. In many of the mice, the iPS cells assimilated into the retina without disruption and functioned as normal retina cells well into the animals old age. Mice in the control group, who received injections of saline or inactive cells, showed no improvement in retina tests.
Our findings provide the first evidence of life-long neuronal recovery in a preclinical model of retinal degeneration, using stem cell transplant, with vision improvement persisting through the lifespan, Tsang says. And importantly, we saw no tumors in any of the mice, which should allay one of the biggest fears people have about stem cell transplants: that they will generate tumors.
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Blind Mice Get Experimental Stem Cell Treatment For Blindness
ScienceDaily (Oct. 1, 2012) An experimental treatment for blindness, developed from a patient's skin cells, improved the vision of blind mice in a study conducted by Columbia ophthalmologists and stem cell researchers.
The findings suggest that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells -- which are derived from adult human skin cells but have embryonic properties -- could soon be used to restore vision in people with macular degeneration and other diseases that affect the eye's retina.
"With eye diseases, I think we're getting close to a scenario where a patient's own skin cells are used to replace retina cells destroyed by disease or degeneration," says the study's principal investigator, Stephen Tsang, MD, PhD, associate professor of ophthalmology and pathology & cell biology. "It's often said that iPS transplantation will be important in the practice of medicine in some distant future, but our paper suggests the future is almost here."
The advent of human iPS cells in 2007 was greeted with excitement from scientists who hailed the development as a way to avoid the ethical complications of embryonic stem cells and create patient-specific stem cells. Like embryonic stem cells, iPS cells can develop into any type of cell. Thousands of different iPS cell lines from patients and healthy donors have been created in the last few years, but they are almost always used in research or drug screening.
No iPS cells have been transplanted into people, but many ophthalmologists say the eye is the ideal testing ground for iPS therapies.
"The eye is a transparent and accessible part of the central nervous system, and that's a big advantage. We can put cells into the eye and monitor them every day with routine non-invasive clinical exams," Tsang says. "And in the event of serious complications, removing the eye is not a life-threatening event."
In Tsang's new preclinical iPS study, human iPS cells -- derived from the skin cells of a 53-year-old donor -- were first transformed with a cocktail of growth factors into cells in the retina that lie underneath the eye's light-sensing cells.
The primary job of the retina cells is to nourish the light-sensing cells and protect the fragile cells from excess light, heat, and cellular debris. If the retina cells die -- which happens in macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa -- the photoreceptor cells degenerate and the patient loses vision. Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss in the elderly, and it is estimated that 30 percent of people will have some form of macular degeneration by age 75. Macular degeneration currently affects 7 million Americans and its incidence is expected to double by 2020.
In their study, the researchers injected the iPS-derived retina cells into the right eyes of 34 mice that had a genetic mutation that caused their retina cells to degenerate.
In many animals, the human cells assimilated into mouse retina without disruption and functioned as normal retina cells well into the animals' old age. Control mice that got injections of saline or inactive cells showed no improvement in retina tests.
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Stem cells improve visual function in blind mice
Two teams including UC Irvine scientists will receive $37 million to push stem-cell treatments toward human testing one for a condition that leads to blindness, another for Alzheimers disease.
The awards, made Wednesday by the states stem-cell funding agency, include $17.3 million for a team that will cultivate retinal progenitor stem-cells to treat a disease known as retinitis pigmentosa.
Human neural stem cell.
COURTESY STEMCELLS, INC.
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The team includes Henry Klassen, a UC Irvine associate opthalmology professor, as well as researchers from UC Santa Barbara and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. The UC Irvine share of that award is about $6 million.
The disease is often diagnosed when patients are in their teens or young adulthood, and progresses into middle age.
First theres night blindness, Klassen said. Then tunnel vision, and eventually, complete blindness.
The treatment hes developing relies on retinal stem cells that have matured enough to be specific to eye function. In previous testing, it has restored vision in rats.
The funding will allow more preliminary work in preparation for human testing. Food and Drug Administration approval, Klassen said, could come as soon as the end of next year.
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Stem-cell research: $37 million
by KING 5 News
KING5.com
Posted on July 26, 2012 at 12:27 PM
University of Washington researchers may have found a key to helping people with degenerative blindness restore their sight.
UW Medicine researchers, working with researchers at the University of California and the University of Munich, say they have discovered a chemical that temporarily restores some vision to blind mice.
Theyre now working on an improved version that may someday work on people with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic disease that is the most common inherited form of blindness, as well as age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of acquired blindness in the developed world.
Researchers say because the chemical eventually wears off, it may offer a safer alternative to other experimental approaches for restoring sight, such as gene or stem cell therapies, which permanently change the retina. It is also less invasive than implanting light-sensitive chips in the eye.
The findings appear in the July 26th issue of the journal Neuron.
Information compiled by KING5's Travis Pittman
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UW discovery could be cure for some blindness
EDINBURGH, Scotland, June 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --A revolution in modern medicine is quietly under way in Scotland, which is rapidly emerging as a global leader in regenerative medicine and drug discovery.
Ranked #1 in the world for stem cell research, Scotland recently launched a new stem cell trial to cure corneal blindness, which could result in the development of the first harvest stem cells that restore the sight of millions of people. The revolutionary research, conducted by Advanced Cell Technologies at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, is the first trial of its kind ever to be carried out in the UK.
Scotland is also responsible for many other groundbreaking life science discoveries, including MRI and CAT scanners, the discovery of p53 cancer suppressor gene, world-recognized research in diabetes and cancer, ReNeuron's stem cell trial for stroke patients, and the cloning of "Dolly" the sheep.
More than two dozen Scottish life science companies and research organizations will come together to showcase these discoveries among other recent life science developments at the 2012 BIO International Convention on June 18-21 in Boston.
"Scotland may be small in size, but we're big in bioscience," said Danny Cusick, President, Americas, of Scottish Development International. "Scotland is home to some of the world's leading life science companies and has the largest concentration of animal science-related expertise and more medical research per capita than any other country in Europe."
The University of Dundee and the University of St. Andrews are both ranked among the top 10 best international academic institutions for scientists. Little wonder that the University of Dundee and the Medical Research Council just announced more than $21 million in funding from a consortium of six of the world's leading pharmaceutical companies for continuing research on the development of new drug treatments of major global diseases.
Beyond the universities, Scotland is also investing heavily in infrastructure to support development of its life science sector. Case in point is the expansive new Edinburgh BioQuarter (EBQ), which just celebrated the opening of pioneering bio-medical facilities: The Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine and new bio-incubator building, Nine. The EBQ was designed to foster collaboration between Scottish researchers and global life science companies that is conducive to developing and commercializing new medical discoveries.
Likewise, a former Merck research facility in Scotland's Central Belt between Glasgow and Edinburgh, is being transformed into "BioCity Scotland" to foster the growth of life science and pharmaceutical companies.
Scottish companies are also beginning to attract the notice of venture capitalists and angel funds. Boston-based Morningside Ventures, for example, recently supported Scotland-based NuCana BioMed with Series A funding.
Scotland's medical research expertise is also earning recognition on the West Coast as the country signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the prestigious San Francisco-based Californian Institute of Regenerative Medicine earlier this year, which will enable joint research and collaboration between scientists and companies in Scotland and California.
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From Cloning 'Dolly the Sheep' to Curing Blindness, Scotland is on the Forefront of Life Science Discoveries
Whether working in bronze, paint, or living cells, bioengineer Stephen Redenti takes the search for truth, beauty--and vision--seriously.
Stephen Redenti is an assistant professor of molecular, cell, and developmental biology at the City University of New York whose lab does cutting-edge work in stem-cell engineering with the aim of helping blind people see. He spent his post-collegiate years as a struggling artist--casting bronze crucifixion sculptures, painting sea life, and caring for lab pigeons--typical, eclectic, young adult stuff. Difference is, Redenti parlayed the ideas and skills he picked up during his wilderness years into a tool kit he still uses to actualize his vision of ... giving others vision.
FAST COMPANY: Youve had a pretty roundabout path to stem-cell engineering.
STEPHEN REDENTI: I got a B.A. from a state college in Connecticut. I spent too many years and graduated with a double major in sculpture and biopsychology. After graduation, I lived in New Haven and apprenticed with a neoclassical sculptor, John Saunders, and was a research assistant in a pigeon behavioral lab. My days were split between the lab and sculpture. When I was 26 and 27 I thought that was exciting --but neither really helped me pay the rent.
Serendipitous events led me to working with Saunders. His girlfriend was in a class with me. We met and we liked the same music, and he offered me an apprenticeship. Hes probably the best neoclassical sculptor Ive ever met. He worked in bronze, doing lost-wax casting--at the time, he was building crucifixion scenes for monasteries throughout the world, and some commissions. Now hes the director of monument preservation in New York City.
At that age I was just pursuing what was genuinely interesting to me. My sculpture was informed by my research in behavioral neuroscience. The same question existed in neuroscience as existed in sculpture--the basic question is, what is the nature of mind? I think I was asking more metaphysical questions when I was younger--luckily we stopped that! But there was always this overlapping of evolutionary theory and theory of the mind, and tying that into the aesthetics of sculpture. Somehow or other, it was all manifested in the physical structure of the body and the brain.
Thats pretty heady stuff. Were you reading things that helped you make those connections?
I was influenced by E.O. Wilson--hes the father of social biology. I also liked Stephen Jay Gould. I was also reading Deleuze and Guattari, the heavy, conceptual-heavy reading you have to do as an art student. And Nietzsche and Freud. You find a lot of parallels when youre a student and youre bouncing between classroom and studio art everyday. To me there were more parallels than differences at that point.
So how did you get interested in the science of vision and decide to focus more on that side of your career?
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A Struggling Artist's Fall-Back Career: Curing Blindness
Stem cells were encouraged to form a structure known as the optic cup
By Daily Mail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 10:55 EST, 13 June 2012 | UPDATED: 10:55 EST, 13 June 2012
Scientists have taken a major step towards restoring vision for blind people with the help of stem cells.
Human-derived stem cells can spontaneously form the tissue that develops into the part of the eye which allows us to see, according to a new study.
Researchers say transplantation of this tissue in the future could help patients with visual impairments see clearly.
The stem cells formed two layers of the optic cup, including a layer containing a large number of photoreceptors
Senior study author Doctor Yoshiki Sasai, of the RIKEN Centre for Developmental Biology in Japan, said: 'This is an important milestone for a new generation of regenerative medicine.
'Our approach opens a new avenue to the use of human stem cell-derived complex tissues for therapy, as well as for other medical studies related to pathogenesis and drug discovery.'
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Blindness breakthrough as scientists turn stem cells into the tissue that allows humans to see
A young cane user feels his way along the sidewalk.
THURSDAY, May 24 (HealthDay News) -- Some overweight or obese children are at increased risk for a brain condition that can lead to blindness, a new study shows.
The risk of idiopathic intracranial hypertension (IIH) -- also called pseudotumor cerebri -- is especially high in older white girls, according to the Kaiser Permanente researchers.
[Read:Blindness Study Opens the Door for Further Stem Cell Trials.]
People with the condition have increased pressure around the brain that is not caused by other diseases. Symptoms include headache, blurred vision, nausea and eye movement abnormalities. Idiopathic intracranial hypertension can lead to blindness in up to 10 percent of patients, particularly if not diagnosed and treated promptly.
The researchers analyzed data from 900,000 children, aged 2 to 19, and identified 78 cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension. Eighty-five percent of the patients with the condition were girls aged 11 to 19, nearly half were white and 73 percent were overweight or obese.
Compared to normal weight children, the risk was 16 times higher in extremely obese children, six times higher in moderately obese children and 3.5 times higher in overweight children.
The study is published May 24 in the Journal of Pediatrics.
[Read: More Success With Gene Therapy for Blindness.]
"Childhood obesity has again been shown to be associated with a serious disease," study author Dr. Sonu Brara, of the Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Neurology Department, said in a Kaiser news release.
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Some Heavy Kids at Risk of Blindness
May 22, 2012
Connie K. Ho for RedOrbit.com
Scottish specialists were recently able to transplant stem cells into the eyes of two corneal blindness patients in an attempt to restore their sight. Doctors will be able to know the effects of the procedure within a few months. It is thought to be the first treatment of its kind in the United Kingdom.
The operation, corneal epithelial stem cell transplantation, is part of a new group of regenerative therapies. Stem cells are grown from deceased donors and transplanted to the patients cornea. Before the transplant occurs, scarred and damaged parts of the cornea are taken out.
If proves to be successful, we could see many more people benefit as a result, stated Scotlands Health Secretary Nicola in a BBC article.
The first person to receive the surgery was Sylvia Paton, a 50-year-old short-sighted female from Edinburgh.
My vision is deteriorating as I get older, much the same as other peoples. However, I already only have around 10% of the vision of sighted people. Until now theres really nothing that could be done to combat the effects of this type of blindness, stated Paton in an article by the Independent.
Paton suffers from aniridia, which causes incomplete formation of the iris and affects both eyes. Environmental settings, space, colors, time of day, among other factors can affect her vision. On a daily basis, she has to wear dark glasses to protect her eyes. She decided to complete the three-hour operation in hopes that it could improve her quality of life and contribute to medical research.
It has the potential to save vision, protect and give back vision to people like me, Paton told the Independents Christine Lavelle. Even if only a little of my vision is restored, it would be better than nothing. Plus, it means that the team has gained valuable experience.
Paton spoke to Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon about the procedure following the operation.
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Stem Cell Operation Attempts To Heal Corneal Blindness
Friday, April 20 15:18:27
Scientists funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC) have made what could turn out to be the fist step towards curing blindness.
Limerick researchers have shown for the first time that transplanting light-sensitive photoreceptors into the eyes of visually impaired mice can restore their vision.
The research, published in Nature, suggests that transplanting photoreceptors -light-sensitive nerve cells that line the back of the eye - could form the basis of a new treatment to restore sight in people with degenerative eye diseases.
Scientists from University College Limerick Institute of Ophthalmology injected cells from young healthy mice directly into the retinas of adult mice that lacked functional rod-photoreceptors. Loss of photoreceptors is the cause of blindness in many human eye diseases including age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa and diabetes-related blindness.
There are two types of photoreceptor in the eye - rods and cones. The cells transplanted were immature (or progenitor) rod-photoreceptor cells. Rod cells are especially important for seeing in the dark as they are extremely sensitive to even low levels of light.
After four to six weeks, the transplanted cells appeared to be functioning almost as well as normal rod-photoreceptor cells and had formed the connections needed to transmit visual information to the brain.
The researchers also tested the vision of the treated mice in a dimly lit maze. Those mice with newly transplanted rod cells were able to use a visual cue to quickly find a hidden platform in the maze whereas untreated mice were able to find the hidden platform only by chance after extensive exploration of the maze.
Professor Robin Ali, associate director of research at the Irish patient led research charity Fighting Blindness led the research at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital.
He said, "We've shown for the first time that transplanted photoreceptor cells can integrate successfully with the existing retinal circuitry and truly improve vision. We're hopeful that we will soon be able to replicate this success with photoreceptors derived from embryonic stem cells and eventually to develop human trials. Although there are many more steps before this approach will be available to patients, it could lead to treatments for thousands of people who have lost their sight through degenerative eye disorders. The findings also pave the way for techniques to repair the central nervous system as they demonstrate the brain's amazing ability to connect with newly transplanted neurons."
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Irish research blindness breakthrough
The Irish Times - Monday, March 12, 2012
MEDICAL RESEARCH:SOMETIMES research and innovation can transform lives. Work by Prof Fergal OBrien has the potential to do just that, helping to protect clear vision in patients with a particular eye disorder.
Based at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, OBrien heads the tissue engineering research group in the department of anatomy. The focus of the work we do is the use of collagen-based biomaterials for tissue repair in combination with stem-cell therapies, he explains. Collagen is the main component of connective tissue and is the bodys most abundant protein. OBrien is using it as a base material in cartilage repair and also in bone regeneration and in cardiovascular applications.
Because of this expertise, he was approached to develop a way to repair the cornea, the clear window of the eye. The cornea is protected by an essential outer layer of tissue called epithelial cells, and in some conditions this breaks down, something that over time can cause blindness.
The eye produces limbal stem cells to repair damage to the epithelial layer, but if there are not enough as in limbal stem-cell deficiency disorders vision may degrade before repairs can occur.
OBriens team has developed a thin, transparent collagen scaffold and he plans to seed this with limbal stem cells and then use it as a protective cover for the cornea. It will cover the surface of the eye and help regenerate the corneal surface, he says.
Enterprise Ireland funds some of his research, which is near to market, and last month, he received a Technology Innovation Development Award from Science Foundation Ireland.
I want to see these treatments coming into use and improving peoples quality of life, he says.
DICK AHLSTROM, Science Editor
Cool drinks gadget wins
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Dublin team creates collagen and stem cell barrier against blindness
By Fiona Macrae
Last updated at 1:55 AM on 8th March 2012
Important breakthrough: One in ten glaucoma sufferers go blind, due to late diagnosis, drugs not working or the disease being particularly severe (file picture)
A treatment for one of the most common causes of blindness could soon be available.
British researchers have used stem cells to heal the damage caused by glaucoma.
The treatment has only been tested on rats, but scientists say it could be tested on humans by 2015 and in widespread use four years later.
At present one in ten glaucoma sufferers go blind, due to late diagnosis, drugs not working or the disease being particularly severe.
Researchers at University College London took healthy stem cells master cells capable of turning into other types of cell and widely seen as a repair kit for the body from human eyes.
They used a cocktail of chemicals to turn them into retinal ganglion cells those that die in glaucoma. They then injected these into the eyes of rats with glaucoma-like damage.
After just four weeks, the cells had connected with existing nerve cells, and the animals eyes worked 50 per cent better, the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine reports.
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Stem cell repair kit for glaucoma could mean a treatment for the most common cause of blindness
Dame Judi Dench, the actress who plays the steely-eyed boss keeping watch over James Bond, revealed she is losing her sight to macular degeneration.
"I can't read scripts anymore because of the trouble with my eyes," Dench, 77, told the Mirror. "And so somebody comes in and reads them to me, like telling me a story."
The macula is a small area in the center of the retina responsible for fine vision -- the kind needed to read or detect details in faces. With age, the macula can break down, and the blood vessels underneath can leak, causing blurriness and, eventually, a blind spot right in the center of the visual field.
"The most distressing thing is in a restaurant in the evening I can't see the person I'm having dinner with," Dench said.
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people over 60, according to the National Eye Institute. In 2004, an estimated 1.75 million Americans had the disease -- a number likely to grow as the boomer population ages.
"It can be a visually devastating disease," said Dr. Martin Friedlander, chief or Retina Services at the Scripps Clinic in La Jolla, Calif. "Particularly because it affects people at a time in their lives when they are more dependent on their fine, or central, vision to do the things we all would like to enjoy in the golden years: read, play games, watch TV, enjoy art, and look at our grandchildren's faces."
Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images
Dench has a 15-year-old grandson, Sam.
The cause of age-related macular degeneration is unknown, but genes can contribute to it.
"People with a family history of macular degeneration have a higher risk," said Dr. Sophie Bakri, professor of ophthalmology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Dench revealed that her mother, too, lived with the disease.
Being white, female and blue-eyed, like Dench, may also increase the risk macular degeneration, according to the Mayo Clinic.
There are two types of macular degeneration: Dry, which is caused by a breakdown of the light-detecting cells of the macula; and wet, which is caused by the growth of abnormal, leaky blood vessels. Dench said she has the dry form in one eye and the wet form in the other.
"The presence of both forms in one person is not at all unusual," said Dr. Marco Zarbin, chairman of New Jersey Medical School's Institute of Ophthalmology and Visual Science in Newark.
Although neither form can be cured, both can be treated with the goal of slowing the degeneration and preventing vision loss.
"The most important innovation in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration ever was the introduction of drugs that block the action of vascular endothelial growth factor," said Zarbin, describing injectable drugs like Lucentis, which was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2005, that thwart the growth of abnormal blood vessels in wet macular degeneration. "That has allowed hundreds of thousands of people to preserve their vision and their independence."
In some cases, dry macular degeneration can be slowed with high doses of vitamins A, C and E as well as zinc and copper, Bakri said. And a tiny telescope can be surgically implanted into the eye to magnify the field of vision.
Experimental stem cell-based and gene therapy approaches have shown promise in treating macular degeneration, but Bakri said they're not yet ready for the clinic.
Dench told the Mirror she's getting injections and believes the disease has "arrested." Whatever happens, she has no plans to retire from acting.
"I'm very conscious that I'm in the minority in that I love what I do," she said. "And how lucky to be employed at it -- how incredibly lucky."
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Dame Judi Dench Battling Blindness
Jan 23, 2012 6:35pm
The first results of human embryonic stem cell therapy are in, and they look good.
Two women, 51 and 78, who were legally blind became the first patients to receive human embryonic stem cell treatment, for their condition. The treatment, also called hESC-RPE, involved scientists injecting stem cells into each patient’s eye. One woman had a condition known as Stargardt’s macular dystrophy and the other, age-related macular degeneration. Both conditions cause severe vision loss. The surgery appeared safe after four months and both women experienced an improvement in vision.
“Our study is designed to test the safety and tolerability of hESC-RPE in patients with advanced-stage Stargardt’s macular dystrophy and dry age-related macular degeneration,” the authors wrote. “So far, the cells seem to have transplanted into both patients without abnormal proliferation … or other untoward pathological reactions or safety signals. Continued follow-up and further study is needed. The ultimate therapeutic goal will be to treat patients earlier in the disease processes, potentially increasing the likelihood of photoreceptor and central visual rescue.”
Eye experts say this is an important study because it could show a promising trend in vision improvement. According to the National Eye Institute, about 1.75 million Americans currently suffer from macular degeneration, and this number is expected to grow to 2.95 million in 2020.
“Stem cell biology has an enormous potential to correct genomically derived ocular diseases, both in correcting deficiencies and amending altered anatomy and physiology,” said Barrett Katz, Frances DeJur Chair in ophthalmology at Montefiore Medical Center in New York. “The eye is the very best organ to expect such advances to be made within, as it is relatively easily accessible and immunologically privileged.”
The research, conducted at UCLA and Advanced Cell Technology in Massachusetts and published today in the Lancet, was small in scope and population and no patients were given a placebo treatment for the sake of comparison.
For this reason, some doctors worried the report would raise hopes prematurely.
“To reach any conclusions on the safety or efficacy of two patients treated for four months without a control population for comparison is unreasonable,” said Martin Friedlander, professor of ophthalmology at Scripps Health in La Jolla, Calif. “This is why anecdotal reports like this are not published.”
“This falsely raises the hopes of millions of individuals suffering from these diseases,” he said.
The use of human embryonic stem cells has long been seen as an ethically controversial medical technology because many ague that an embryo is the earliest form of life. Extracting stem cells from that embryo almost always damages it.
But proponents of the use of human embryonic stem cells say this argument lacks validity and detracts from the medical benefits that could be achieved.
“It has been over a decade since the discovery of human embryonic stem cells,” Dr. Robert Lanza, co-author of the study and Chief Scientific Officer at Advanced Cell Technology, said in a statement. “This is the first report of hESC-derived cells ever transplanted into patients, and the safety and engraftment data to-date looks very encouraging… Despite the progressive nature of these conditions, the vision of both patients appears to have improved after transplantation of the cells, even at the lowest dosage.
“This is particularly important, since the ultimate goal of this therapy will be to treat patients earlier in the course of the disease where more significant results might potentially be expected,” Lanza said
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Stem Cell Treatment Helps on Blindness