Cataract Cell Therapy
Researchers from the University of California at San Diego, together with colleagues from China, have developed a new regenerative approach to the removal of congenital cataracts in newborns, allowing the patient's own stem cells to form a new lens.
Congenital cataract – clouding of the lens that occurs immediately or shortly after birth – is one of the main causes of blindness in children. A clouded lens prevents light from entering the retina and transmitting visual information to the brain, which leads to significant visual disturbances. The possibilities of existing treatment methods are limited by the age of patients and complications. Most pediatric patients require corrective glasses after cataract surgery.
The approach proposed by the authors suggests solving this problem due to the regenerative potential of the patient's endogenous stem cells. Traditionally, cell therapy methods involve the creation or modification of stem cells in the laboratory and their introduction to the patient, which is accompanied by the risk of infection and immune rejection. Unlike externally injected therapeutic stem cells, endogenous stem cells are initially located in tissue damaged as a result of injury or disease. In the case of the human eye, the epithelial stem cells of the lens form a small number of new lens fibers throughout life, but this ability fades with age.
With the use of modern methods of cataract treatment, the epithelial stem cells of the lens are almost completely removed. The few remaining cells in young children give disordered growth, which does not ensure the restoration of vision. After confirming the regenerative potential of epithelial stem cells of the lens in animal models, researchers have developed a new minimally invasive surgical approach that preserves the integrity of the lens capsule – the membrane that ensures the maintenance of the lens shape necessary for normal functioning – as well as a method for stimulating the growth of its epithelial stem cells and the formation of a new full-fledged lens.
The results of subsequent experiments on animals with cataracts and a small clinical study indicate that the new method allows stem cells remaining in the eye to regenerate new functional lenses. The clinical study involved 12 young children under the age of 2 years who were treated with the new method, and 25 children of the same age who underwent standard surgery. According to the results of follow-up, patients in the control group were more likely to develop postoperative inflammatory processes, they were also characterized by early development of intraocular hyperthesia and a tendency to clouding of the lens.
At the same time, patients in the experimental group had fewer complications and faster recovery after surgery. In addition, 3 months after the intervention, transparent biconvex lenses formed in all the operated eyes.
Currently, the authors are exploring the possibilities of applying their developed approach to the treatment of age-related cataracts, which are the leading cause of vision loss worldwide. Currently, this disease is treated by replacing the clouded lens with an artificial one. Despite significant technical achievements, in a significant part of cases, the operation does not restore the level of vision to optimal values. The researchers hope that their development will revolutionize the field of cataract therapy, providing patients with a safer and more effective treatment method.
Article by Haotian Lin et al. Lens regeneration using endogenous stem cells with gain of visual function is published in the journal Nature.
Evgeniya Ryabtseva
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru based on the materials of the University of California - San Diego: Stem Cells Regenerate Human Lens After Cataract Surgery, Restoring Vision.
10.03.2015