IPSC against macular degeneration: the first success
Doctors restored the Japanese woman's vision with the help of skin cells
Copper News based on the materials of Science Alert: Japanese scientists have used skin cells to restore a patient's vision for the first time
Japanese scientists led by Masayo Takahashi (Masayo Takahashi) for the first time conducted a successful operation to restore vision using skin stem cells. These stem cells were actually created by scientists from the patient's own skin.
A 70-year–old woman suffered from age-related macular degeneration - this disease is the most common cause of blindness among people aged 50 and older. About two years ago, the patient joined a group that was selected for the first test of a new technology on humans. The clinical trials were approved by the Special Committee of the Ministry of Health of Japan on Safety.
As part of the scientific work, skin samples of about 4 mm in diameter were taken from six participants in order to then create the material necessary for transplantation from them. The skin cells were "reprogrammed" into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). Their peculiarity is that they are able to change, becoming any tissue of the body, including the tissue of the retina of the eye. For the discovery of these cells, scientists Shinya Yamanaka and John B. Gurdon received the Nobel Prize in 2012. In this case, retinal pigment epithelial cells were grown from them. Then an ultrathin film was created from the modified cells, which was placed behind the patient's retina.
For two years, the researchers observed whether the graft would take root. Now they have stated that the goal of scientific work has been achieved – the body has not rejected the modified cells, no complications have arisen during this time. Despite the fact that the elderly woman's eyesight has only partially recovered, scientists note that induced pluripotent stem cells can be a step forward in the treatment of many diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.
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11.05.2016