Scientists Announce Stem Cells Have Retained Light Source for Mice on the Brink of Blindness
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| Some forms of blindness in humans may be treated with the patient’s own stem cells |
The research team focused on a group of eye diseases known as retinitis pigmentosa. This condition causes the retinal cells to progressively deteriorate, leading to gradual vision loss and sometimes total blindness. Currently, approximately 3,500 individuals suffer from this disease with no available treatment options.
Martin Friedlander and his colleagues at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, extracted a batch of stem cells from the bone marrow of adult mice and injected them into the eyes of newborn mice afflicted with retinitis pigmentosa before their retinas began to degenerate. The research team observed that the injections halted some forms of vision deterioration, particularly in cone cells responsible for color perception and sharp detail recognition.
The experimental mice were also able to detect light entering their eyes, while the control mice were completely blind. This prompted Friedlander, who published the findings in the journal Clinical Investigation, to exclaim: “It’s astonishing.”
Promising Prospects
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Martin Friedlander (Photo: Scripps) |
While it is known that stem cells can develop into various types of cells, it remains unclear how they specifically aid the eyes in this case. The research team previously hypothesized that stem cells could help prevent the retinal blood vessels from rupturing by integrating into those vessels. However, some other stem cells may develop in the eye and produce molecules that sustain the survival of both blood vessels and cone cells.
Friedlander hopes that cases of retinitis pigmentosa in humans could be treated by injecting stem cells derived from the patients’ own bone marrow into their eyes. In humans, vision deterioration typically does not occur until after adolescence. He stated: “We will bring this technique to hospitals.” Friedlander hopes to begin trials on patients as early as this year if he can gather enough evidence to demonstrate that the technique is safe.
Lois Smith, a researcher in ophthalmology at Harvard University, agrees that this technique is one of the most promising treatments for blindness discovered in recent years. Retinitis pigmentosa has many causes, making it challenging to find a single drug that works for all cases.
Researchers speculate that stem cells may also be applied to treat various other forms of blindness. This condition is often caused by diabetic retinopathy and age-related degeneration, both of which can lead to abnormal blood vessel development in the eyes. Smith believes that stem cells could be manipulated to produce molecules capable of correctly regulating the growth of these blood vessels.
