Researchers at University College London have successfully used human eye stem cells to repair glaucoma damage in rats. What's more, as a Daily Mail story on the breakthrough reports, they say the treatment could be ready for human trials in three years.
One of the researchers--Astrid Limb--set realistic expectations for the finding, telling the Daily Mail that the research is "still a long way from the clinic." True enough. The three-year time frame to human trials could easily be swayed because of funding, issues in subsequent animal trials or any number of other obstacles. But as the article explains, such a treatment would be significant for glaucoma patients, of whom 1 in 10 go blind because of limited drug treatments, late diagnosis or just a very bad bout with the disease.
We'll also cautiously wait for human trials, because promising results in rodent tests aren't always replicated in people. Still, the researchers are surely looking to a recent related human clinical trial for inspiration. In January, Advanced Cell Technology ($ACTC) reported that two patients who suffered from two types of macular degeneration gained partially restored vision from the company's embryonic stem cell-derived retinal cells. Also noteworthy: The U.K. research uses adult stem cells, which avoids ongoing ethical controversies over using embryonic stem cells.
According to the story, the scientists started with healthy stem cells from human eyes, and chemically altered them into retinal ganglion cells, which die in glaucoma patients. Rats with glaucoma-like damage then had the substance injected into their eyes. Their vision improved by half within a month, and the cells injected into the eyes connected with existing nerve cells, according to the results cited in the story.
For more details, read the study online in the journal Stem Cells Translational Medicine.
- here's the Daily Mail story
- check out the journal abstract