[Nfbf-l] Fwd: FW: Blind to be cured with stem cells

Tue Apr 28 14:15:48 UTC 2009

____________________________________
 From: BlindguysRus1
To: REPCODDS
Sent: 4/27/2009 4:48:26 P.M. Pacific  Daylight Time
Subj: Fwd: FW: Blind to be cured with stem cells

____________________________________
 From: Samme.Ripley at ocfl.net
Sent: 4/27/2009 11:54:36 A.M. Pacific  Daylight Time
Subj: FW: Blind to be cured with stem cells

Sharing a new  treatment for the blind which has been discovered in the 
United  Kingdom and soon put to the  test. 
..smr 

____________________________________

From:  Disability Relations Group [mailto:drg at drgglobal.com] 
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2009 3:49  PM
To: Ripley, Samme
Subject: Blind to be cured with stem  cells

Blind  to be cured with stem cells  

>From  The  Sunday Times

April  19, 2009
Blind  to be cured with stem cells

Sarah-Kate  Templeton, Health Editor 

BRITISH  scientists have developed the world's first stem cell therapy to  
cure the most common cause of blindness. Surgeons predict it  will become a 
routine, one-hour procedure that will be generally  available in six or 
seven years' time.  
The  treatment involves replacing a layer of degenerated cells with  new 
ones created from embryonic stem cells. It was pioneered by  scientists and 
surgeons from the Institute of  Ophthalmology at  University College London 
and Moorfields eye hospital.   
This  week Pfizer, the world's largest pharmaceutical research  company, 
will announce its financial backing to bring the  therapy to patients.  
The  treatment will tackle age-related macular degeneration (AMD),  the 
most common cause of blindness. It affects more than 500,000  Britons and the 
number is forecast to increase significantly as  people live longer. The 
disease involves the loss of eye cells.   
Under  the new treatment, embryonic stem cells are transformed into  
replicas of the missing cells. They are then placed on an  artificial membrane 
which is inserted in the back of the retina.   
Tom  Bremridge, chief executive of the Macular Disease Society, said:  
"This is a huge step forward for patients. We are extremely  pleased that the 
big guns have become involved, because, once  this treatment is validated, it 
will be made available to a huge  volume of patients."  
Embryonic  stem cells have the ability to develop into all types of body  
tissue. Their use is controversial, however, because it involves  the 
destruction of human embryos.  
Laboratory  trials completed by the British team have demonstrated that 
stem  cells can prevent blindness in rats with a similar disease to  AMD. They 
have also successfully tested elements of the  technology in pigs.  
The  team is led by Professor Pete Coffey, director of the London  Project 
to Cure Blindness, working alongside Lyndon da Cruz, a  surgeon at 
Moorfields.  
Coffey  said the treatment would take "less than an hour, so it really  
could be considered as an outpatient procedure. We are trying to  get it out as 
a common therapy".  
He  welcomed Pfizer's agreement to manufacture the membranes,  saying: 
"This is a major development because of the size of the  partner. We need a big 
pharmaceutical company to scale it up.   
"We  have nearly 14m people within Europe with AMD. This will ensure that 
the  therapy gets through to clinical trials in a safe and effective  
manner."  
Professor  Peng Khaw, director of the Biomedical Research Centre at  
Moorfields and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, added: "This  shows that stem 
cell therapy is coming of age. It offers great  hope for many sufferers 
around the world who cannot be treated  with conventional treatment." He added: 
"All my patients say to  me is, 'When will this stem cell treatment be ready? 
I want it  now'."  
Pfizer's  role would be crucial in bringing production of the membranes to  
an industrial level.  
The  team is applying for regulatory approval for trials from the  
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Human  Tissue Authority and 
the gene therapy advisory committee.   
The  clinical trial, due within two years, is expected to be the  second in 
the world to use embryonic stem cells on humans. The  first, on patients 
with spinal cord injuries, will start this  year in America.  

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