Cornea from stem cells

Doctors restored the Briton's eyesight with the help of stem cellsCopper news
Doctors restored the UK resident's eyesight with the help of stem cells, reports The Daily Telegraph (Pioneering stem cell treatment restores sight).

A report on the treatment was published in the journal Stem Cells (Sai Kolli et al., Successful Clinical Implementation of Corneal Epithelial Stem Cell Therapy for Treatment of Unilateral Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency).

38-year-old Russell Turnbull (Russell Turnbull) lost sight in one eye when he tried to break up a fight. One of the combatants sprayed ammonia solution into the man's right eye. As a result, Turnbull received a burn of the cornea, after which scars formed on it.

During the treatment, surgeons removed a corneal area of one square millimeter containing stem cells from the patient's left (healthy) eye. Then a piece of tissue was grown in the laboratory, increasing its size by 400 times.

After that, the damaged cornea of Turnbull's right eye was replaced with a piece of healthy tissue. According to the patient, the operation was successful and restored his vision.

In total, this method, developed by specialists of the North East England Stem Cell Institute (NESCI), was used to treat eight patients, including Turnbull. After surgery, visual acuity improved in five patients.

According to NESCI surgeon Francisco Figueiredo, corneal opacity causes vision loss in eight million people worldwide every year. He added that the advantage of stem cell treatment is that there is no need for long-term medication and accelerated social adaptation of patients.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru23.12.2009