Stem cells will get rid of an eyesore

Alexey Tymoshenko, GZT.ruStem cells have helped doctors cure corneal opacity in mice, according to the American Society of Cell Biology.

Thus, a very common human disease in the future will be possible to treat without surgical operations.

Clouding of the cornea, or, in the people, a thorn, is quite common. It can lead to almost complete loss of vision, and the most radical way to treat it is a corneal transplant – an operation that requires a suitable donor and which, like any surgical intervention, is associated with the risk of complications.

Anti-national medicine
"Traditional" methods of treatment of a cataract, found in the process of preparing an article by a correspondent of GZT.EN, doctors cause, to put it mildly, some misunderstanding. The use of earthworm extract aged in the oven or urine boiled in copper dishes – such methods, despite the progress of science and experiments with stem cells, are still described in collections of "folk recipes".

Stem cells instead of surgery

Doctors have been pinning high hopes on stem cells for a long time – and not by chance. The ability of stem cells to divide indefinitely and replenish dead cells of other types has already allowed scientists to grow even a new tooth in a mouse, and in humans stem cells were used to repair a damaged femoral neck.

But before the mass use of stem cells, several problems need to be solved. For example, stem cells are now obtained either from embryonic material, or from umbilical cord blood, or by reprogramming the patient's own cells. The latter path is not yet safe because of the risk of reprogrammed cells turning into malignant cells, but the first two often raise ethical questions.

Research in the field of stem cells is aimed both at developing new methods for obtaining this universal material, and directly at finding ways to cure a particular disease; the work of a team from the University of Cincinnati refers specifically to such experiments.

Mice

For the experiment, molecular biologists created genetically modified mice whose cornea lacked the lumican protein. Lumican provides transparency to the cornea, and, in addition, it is also necessary in a number of other organs for the formation of connective tissue. Mice whose bodies were deprived of this protein began to suffer from corneal opacity, or, to use a commonly used term, from an eyesore.

When will they be modified?
Genetic modification does not affect adult animals, but a fertilized egg. Therefore, not every protein can be removed from the body in this way. Biologists know a number of examples when embryos developed from a successfully modified egg died before birth.

Next, the action of stem cells was tested directly on blinded mice. The cells obtained by scientists earlier from human umbilical cord tissue not only took root in an alien mouse organism, but also were able to restore the transparency of the cornea.

This picture (taken by Wikipedia user Megor1) shows the eye after a corneal transplant – you can notice the finest stitches of the seam and the border of the transplanted area. The work of ophthalmology surgeons is many times more complex than the work of a jeweler, but perhaps in the near future they will be able to do without such operations.

For at least three months, the researchers have not recorded any signs of rejection, and now we can talk about the possibility of using the new technique in clinics. However, again, only in the form of isolated experiments, because such treatment will become widespread when doctors are convinced of its safety.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru10.12.2009