Thank you for this informative article, Dr. I have been so encouraged with recent studies that seem so promising for the treatment of both wet and dry macular degeneration through stem cell therapy.
Your article only goes on to strengthen my conviction that a viable treatment option can be implemented, saving vision for millions of people worldwide.
In the meantime, I would encourage anyone experiencing even a couple of the symptoms of macular degeneration to consult an experienced and skilled ophthalmologist. It is crucial that we take good care of our eyes with regular check-ups. Really interesting article! Stem cell therapy could revolutionize dry AMD treatment. Till now only dietary supplements were available for slowing the progression of the disease. If you have comments or questions not related to the current discussions, please direct them to Ask NIH.
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Toggle navigation. January 29, at pm. Alireza Zieglari says:. February 1, at am. Hemalatha says:. May 13, at am. Some people are interested in doing their part for the advancement of science by participating in clinical trials. It is necessary in order to test new drugs and treatments, but participation comes with a obligation that may mean long follow-up and multiple visits to the doctor in order to gather data. Talk to your doctor if you are interested. He or she may be able to direct you to a study that will welcome your enrollment.
There are multiple areas of active research underway for AMD. Many involve novel treatments to treat both wet and dry AMD, including novel drug delivery systems that avoid the use of needles, or drugs that will continue to be effective for several months instead of a few weeks.
Stem cell research is an active area of research for AMD. Scientists are exploring ways to replace dead or diseased cells in the retinal pigment epithelium RPE with stem cells which would slow down or stop the progression of AMD. Stem cells are harvested from two different sources. One is called induced pluripotent stem cells which are collected from skin or other tissue cells and are reprogrammed in the lab to become RPE cells. The other cells are embryonic stem cells. As the name describes, these are collected from human embryos and can also be programmed to grow as RPE cells.
Small clinical trials utilizing stem cells are just beginning at a handful of research centers. Gene therapy is another promising area of research in which a defective gene is replaced.
Several genes that appear to be related to AMD have been identified as potential targets. Once the cells die, the photoreceptors also eventually die. This cell death results in the most severe form of dry AMD—called geographic atrophy. Geographic atrophy can lead to blindness. The new experimental treatment is designed to replace the dying cells with cells that have been created from a patient's blood cells.
In the lab, the researchers convert the patient's cells into induced pluripotent stem cells iPS cells. These can become any kind of cell in the body. The lab-made cells were grown in tiny sheets that were one cell thick. The researchers then inserted the cells into the retinas of rats and pigs. Ten weeks after the cells were implanted, the researchers conducted imaging studies that showed the lab-made cells were integrated within the retina. The transplanted cells functioned properly, the researchers reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
These healthy new cells could stop any further vision loss from dry AMD and might even be able to return some lost vision. But we don't have any treatment for dry AMD, so this is something to watch out for. Dugel noted that a key concern with any stem cell therapy is that changing the nuclear structure of the cell has the potential to cause cells to multiply uncontrollably and become cancerous.
The researchers said they genetically analyzed the RPE cells derived from stem cells and found no genetic mutations linked to tumor growth.
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