Retinal cells derived from Stem Cells help treat Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

(c) UCSB

In the months before Douglas Waters’ surgery, his vision was poor and he couldn’t see anything out of his right eye due to severe age-related macular degeneration (AMD). He struggled to see things clearly, even when up close. After the surgery, his eyesight improved so much that he could read the newspaper and help his wife with gardening.

Muller cells a key cell in preventing age-related vision loss

(c) Duke

Duke researchers have pinpointed a new therapeutic target for macular degeneration. Clinical trials have shown that injection of human umbilical stem cells, or hUTC, into the retina helps preserve and restore vision in macular degeneration patients. However, the underlying mechanisms behind the therapy remain unknown. Their findings show that hUTC treatment preserves the function of a retinal cell called the Müller glia in rats with degenerative vision loss.

Stem-cell derived retina found to improve vision in monkeys with RP

Researchers at the RIKEN Institute in Japan have succeeded in growing human embryonic stem cell-derived retina (hESC-retina) and transplanting that tissue into the retinas of rhesus monkeys with Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP). Three weeks after the treatment, visual tests on two of the monkeys found their vision had improved.