First trial of embryonic stem cell treatment in Europe gets green light
Patients in Britain with an eye disease that leads to blindness will take part in Europe's first human embryonic stem cell trial
Written: 9/22/2011
In Great Britain, scientists and doctors have been doing countless hours of research on a debilitating eye disease, called Stargardt's syndrome, that ultimately leads to blindness. With this disease ultimately killing cells in the eye that are responsible for vision, impaired vision is one of the first symptoms followed by a complete loss of sight. Although this disease has no known cure, scientists have miraculously entered the first stage of research for injecting stem cells into the back of the eye in an attempt to restore some of the eye cells that have fallen victim to the disease. The cells in the eye, retinal pigment epithelial cells, would be replaced by the stem cells and hopefully reverse the effects of blindness. With stem cells being strategically placed in the retina, doctors are hopeful that light will be able to enter the eye again, making it useable to see again.
Stargardt's syndrome is a horrible eye illness that ultimately causes blindness that can potentially be treated by stem cells. With stem cells being highly disputed in society, many people have forgotten the main reason scientists use them, to find cures for diseases. These stem cells, in this case, have the potential to restore eyesight to a victim of a debilitating disease. Recently, researchers and doctors from the United States also used stem cells to potentially replace broken nerves in a critically hurt trauma patient's spinal cord. With stem cells being said to be one of the most useable resources in our future of medicine, the possibilities are endless for this potentially life changing treatment.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/sep/22/embryonic-stem-cell-trial-blindness
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