The first transplantation of pigment epithelium from iPSC

Japanese patient with age-related retinal disease
she became the first person to test stem cells of a new generation

Marina Astvatsaturyan, Echo of Moscow

A Japanese patient with age-related retinal disease has become the first to test a new generation of stem cells. A woman over 70 has become the world's first recipient of a transplant derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These cells are the result of reprogramming of adult cells.

The operation, carried out on September 12 at the clinic of the Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation Hospital at the Center for Developmental Biology of the RIKEN Institute (RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology) in Kobe, was reported by representatives of the latter. The historic procedure took two hours, during which three ophthalmologists led by Yasuo Kurimoto from the Main Hospital of the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital transplanted a layer of retinal pigment epithelium cells measuring 1-3 x 3.0 millimeters into the eye of a resident of Hyogo Prefecture who developed age-related macular degeneration, also called macular degeneration.

This piece of epithelial tissue was grown by Masayo Takahashi at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology, for which the skin cells taken from the patient were converted into induced pluripotent stem cells, and those, in turn, differentiated into retinal cells. According to the RIKEN Institute, the operation did not cause any complications. In a statement issued by the institute, Dr. Kurimoto notes that the patient "is warned about all the risks associated with both treatment and surgical procedure. "I deeply respect the courage shown by the patient who decided to go through this therapy," Kurimoto is quoted by Nature News (Japanese woman is the first recipient of next-generation stem cells).

A sad note was also sounded in the address on behalf of the researchers: Kurimoto expressed deep gratitude to Yoshiki Sasai from the Center for Developmental Biology, who recently committed suicide after failing to co-author in a sensational, but, as it turned out, unscrupulous publication dedicated to other stem cells. The current operation and the entire project "would not have existed without the research of the late Yoshiki Sasai, who pointed out the way to differentiate retinal tissue from pluripotent stem cells," Kurimoto said.

The pigmented epithelium transplantation operation was performed four days after the committee under the Ministry of Health of Japan granted Masayo Takahashi permission to conduct clinical trials. This was preceded by studies on monkeys and mice that showed their safety. The transplantation performed now is unlikely to restore vision weakened by macular degeneration, but it will show whether this method can prevent further development of the disease in the absence of side effects such as immune rejection or induced carcinogenesis.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru 17.09.2014