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Blindness Cured in 2012 - We'll See!
Photo Credit: Eli Duke
Researchers at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London have announced an ambitious plan to surgically implant embryonic stem cells in eyes with advanced age-related macular degeneration (ARMD).
By the way, have you noticed how ARMD keeps popping-up on this blog? There must be a reason. Since ARMD is the most common cause of acquired irreversible vision loss in adults over 50, and since we are all living longer, there is enormous interest (read "money") in finding a treatment that works. A cure for ARMD will be bigger than the discovery of Viagra - yes, the pun was intended!
Anyway, back to science. The core problem with ARMD is damage and eventual loss of RPE cells (retinal pigment epithelium). RPE cells do not regenerate - once gone, they are gone forever. Healthy RPE cells reside underneath the photoreceptor layer of the retina and if the RPE cells suffer so do the photoreceptors.
Eye specialists in England want to repopulate the lost RPE cells with genetically-trained embryonic stem cells that are painlessly introduced with a tiny needle.
Other investigators have already attempted autologous RPE cell transplants in ARMD patients: transferring healthy RPE cells from a noncritical area of the retina to the RPE-poor macula. The method shows some promise but none of the volunteers are threading needles yet.
Forgive any perceived cynicism (what, me cynical?) but the bold promise to have this experimental treatment available for mainstream use in 5 years is a stretch. Predictions like these have not been kept since JFK promised to land astronauts on the moon before the end of the 1960s.
It is great to be enthusiastic about your research and it is important to share hope. It is another thing to create unrealistic expectations. Have these researchers ever heard about the FDA?
Related Topics:
- WebMD Video: Macular Degeneration Gene Sheds New Light
- The Amazing Human Eye: Your Guide to How the Eye Sees
