Source: Guardian Unlimited - UK
Date: June 5, 2007
Summary:
The Guardian reports British scientists have begun a new study to investigate treatments for blindness to restore lost sight due to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using adult eye stem cells to grow new retinal cells:
"British scientists have launched an ambitious project to cure the most common cause of age-related blindness by growing human eye tissue from stem cells."
The story also describes the procedure researchers will perform to obtain and transplant the cells into patients:
"Scientists at the University of Sheffield will grow the stem cells in 4-6mm oval patches, to the standards required for clinical use. First, healthy cells are harvested from a patient's own eyes, then they are transplanted into the damaged area behind the centre of the retina. However, the procedure is difficult and can be fraught with complications." Researchers hope to eventually be able to make the operation a routine procedure, similar to surgery to remove cataracts.
