[Nfbf-l] {Disarmed} Hope for the blind? Stem cells improve vision

[Sherri]

Hi Jane, So good to hear from you. I found this very interesting. Thanks for 
passing it along.

Sherri Brun
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Sent: Tuesday, January 24, 2012 12:26 PM
Subject: [Nfbf-l] {Disarmed} Hope for the blind? Stem cells improve vision


> Hope For The Blind? Stem Cells Improve Vision
> Posted on 01/24/2012 by Candy Sagon // Personal Health and Well-being // 2 
> Comments
> Two older women, both legally blind from degenerative eye disease, have 
> regained some of their sight, thanks to an experimental treatment using 
> human stem cells, researchers at the University of California, Los 
> Angeles, report.
> This is the first time human embryonic stem cells have been used to treat 
> eye disease.
> The researchers, with UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute, caution that it’s 
> far too early to call this a cure, but lead researcher Steven D. Schwartz, 
> M.D., a professor of ophthalmalogy, says it could be a milestone in the 
> field of regenerative medicine.
> One of the women, age 78, had lost most of her vision to the dry form of 
> macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness among people over 55. 
> The other woman, 51, suffered from Stargardt’s macular dystrophy, a 
> similar disease that begins in childhood and is the leading cause of 
> pediatric blindness.
> Schwartz told National Public Radio many more patients will need to be 
> treated for far longer to know if stem cell therapy is really safe and 
> effective. “If we overstate this and raise hopes falsely and then it doesn’t 
> work out, it will hurt people rather than help them.”
> The research, published in the journal The Lancet, involved two groups of 
> patients — one suffering from Stargardt’s, and the other with dry macular 
> degeneration, both untreatable conditions.
> In each disease, a layer of retinal cells deteriorates and dies, 
> eventually causing blindness. In the study, surgeons injected new retinal 
> cells, made from stem cells, directly into the eye and then tracked the 
> results for four months.
> The 78-year-old woman said she began seeing improvement after about six 
> weeks and tests showed she could read more letters on an eye chart. She 
> told NPR she could even make her own breakfast again. With the younger 
> woman, she went from being unable to read any letters on the eye chart to 
> being able to read five of the biggest ones and do routine chores around 
> the house.
> This is the only the second government-approved trial using human 
> embryonic stem cells to treat people. The first trial, aimed at treating 
> spinal cord injuries, was abruptly halted two months ago.
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