Retina Patch
New retina implant stopped age-related vision deterioration
Natalia Pelezneva, Naked Science
An implant made of retinal pigment epithelium cells created for patients with age–related macular degeneration, one of the most common causes of blindness in people over 55, has been successfully tested in the USA. In four patients who underwent the procedure, the deterioration of vision stopped. An article about the testing was published in the journal Science Translational Medicine (Kashani et al., A bioengineered retinal pigment epithelial monolayer for advanced, dry age-related macular degeneration).
The first symptoms of age–related macular degeneration are blurred vision and difficulty reading and recognizing faces. Scientists are discussing the causes of macular degeneration, in 2016 it was associated with mutations of the MAP-2 protein. Age-related macular degeneration affects the yellow spot of the eye: the area of the retina associated with the greatest visual acuity. At the same time, the pigment epithelium – one of the layers of the retina - suffers. It provides nutrients to the photoreceptors of the eye – rods and cones, and also increases the resolution of the eye by filtering out scattered light.
The new implant consists of a layer of pigment epithelial cells derived from human stem cells. They were planted on a thin polymer substrate imitating the Bruch membrane – the inner layer of the vascular membrane of the eye, to which the pigment epithelium adjoins. Previously, an implant made using the same technology was successfully tested on rodents.
Five patients with "dry" macular degeneration were selected for testing – up to 90% of patients suffer from this form. Four people underwent implantation, and after the procedure, the patients' condition was monitored from four months to a year. All operations were successful, scientists did not record cell rejection. Tomography showed that the transplanted cells gradually integrated into their own eye tissue. After the operation, vision did not deteriorate: one woman began to noticeably improve – she was able to read 24 letters of the LogMAR ophthalmological table, although she could only make out seven before. At the same time, the vision of the patient who did not undergo implantation fell.
This experiment is the first phase of testing a new method. Scientists plan to conduct testing with the participation of a larger number of patients with macular degeneration.
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