Stem cell therapy for eye disease
Date: 6.6.2007
UK scientists are attempting to restore vision in people with a leading cause of blindness using stem cells.
The team has already repaired the vision of a handful of patients with age-related macular degeneration using cells from the patients' own eyes.
With the help of a £4m donation, they are now planning to carry out the same operation using retinal cells grown from stem cells in the lab.
It is hoped the first patients would be treated within five years.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects around 25% of over-60s in the UK to some degree and causes blindness in 14 million people across Europe.
There are two types - dry - which makes up 90% of cases, and wet, which makes up the other 10%.
It is caused by the failure of retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE) - a layer of support cells under the retina, which processes light.
This leads to the degeneration of the macula - the central area of the retina - and gradually knocks out central vision...
"BBC NEWS":[ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6721685.stm]
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