Become a member
Quick Registration
Full Registration Benefits -
Free Homepages for Doctors
Free Homepages for Hospitals
Free Homepages for Medical Conference
Free Homepages for NGO's
Personal Health Record Creation
Access to all Medical Slides
Access to all Jobs & Products Sale
Study Renews Hope for Restoring Eyesight With Stem Cells | |
|
| |
Recent research renews hope that people with visual impairments can see because human-derived stem cells can spontaneously form the tissue that develops into the part of the eye that allows us to see.
The study published by Cell Press in the 5th anniversary issue of the journal Cell Stem Cell shows how transplantation of this 3D tissue in the future could help patients with visual impairments see clearly.
"This is an important milestone for a new generation of regenerative medicine," says senior study author Yoshiki Sasai of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology. "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."
During development, light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye, called the retina, forms from a structure known as the optic cup. In the new study, this structure spontaneously emerged from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs)cells derived from human embryos that are capable of developing into a variety of tissuesthanks to the cell culture methods optimized by Sasai and his team.
The hESC-derived cells formed the correct 3D shape and the two layers of the optic cup, including a layer containing a large number of light-responsive cells called photoreceptors. Because retinal degeneration primarily results from damage to these cells, the hESC-derived tissue could be ideal transplantation material.
Beyond the clinical implications, the study will likely accelerate the acquisition of knowledge in the field of developmental biology. For instance, the hESC-derived optic cup is much larger than the optic cup that Sasai and collaborators previously derived from mouse embryonic stem cells, suggesting that these cells contain innate species-specific instructions for building this eye structure. "This study opens the door to understanding human-specific aspects of eye development that researchers were not able to investigate before," Sasai says.
The anniversary issue containing Sasai's study will be given to each delegate attending the 2012 ISSCR meeting in Yokohama, Japan. To highlight the ISSCR meeting and showcase the strong advances made by Japanese scientists in the stem cell field, the issue will also feature two other papers from Japanese authors, including the research groups of Akira Onishi and Jun Yamashita. In addition, the issue contains a series of reviews and perspectives from worldwide leaders in stem cell research.
Source-Eurekalert
| |
|
|
More News on: Stem Cells - Cord Blood, Stem Cells - Fundamentals, Parkinsons Disease Surgical Treatment, Genetics and Stem Cells, Bone Marrow Transplantation, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cells
 Comment & Contribute
|
Related Links
Foods that Gives You Sparkling Eyes
Food not only sustains us but the kind and quality of food determines the state of your health, which includes your eyes. Let us see which foods can ...
Genetics & Stem Cells Related News
Outcome in Head and Neck Cancer may be Predicted by Genetic Diversity Within Tumors
Researchers reveal that a new measure of the variety of genetic mutations of cells within a tumor appears to predict treatment outcomes of patients ...
White Europeans Inherit Foot Disorders from Their Parents
Researchers have found that some of the common foot disorders, such as bunions (hallux valgus) and lesser toe deformities like hammer or claw toe, ...
Stem-cell-based Strategy Boosts Immune System in Mice: Researchers
UC San Francisco researchers have created the first functioning human thymus tissue from embryonic stem cells in the laboratory raising hopes for ...
RNA Interference Technology Used to Identify 'Lethal' and 'Rescuer' Genes With The Help Of Innovative Screening Method
Genes that when inactivated result in cell death or enhanced cell growth, respectively are defined as lethal and rescuer genes. The ability to ...
Framework for New Recommendations on Reporting Incidental Findings in Gene Sequencing Published
Researchers at Center for Medical Ethics and Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine have come out with a framework for the new American College ...
First Whole Exome Sequence of Small Intestine Neuroendocrine Tumors Completed by Mayo Clinic
The world''s first whole exome sequence of small intestine neuroendocrine tumors has been completed by researchers at Mayo Clinic. The ...
- Health News Index
- News Quick Links
| News Categories: |
| » | EU Agency Says Acne Pill Benefits Outweigh Blood Clot Risk |
| » | Reduce Ambien's Dose to Avoid Drowsy Driving |
| » | Statins Cut Exercise Benefits |
| » | New Drug Enhances Radiation Treatment for Brain Cancer |
| » | Experts Issue Warning Against Online Sexual Enhancement Pills |
| More Drug News | |
|
Ask an Expert
