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Stem Cell Transplants Restore Vision

A study in The Lancet details successful stem cell transplants for treating corneal damage, leading to significant vision improvements in several patients.

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Italian

Italy

HealthTreatmentMedical ResearchVisionStem CellsTransplant

Us National Eye InstituteNational Institutes Of HealthScripps Research InstituteUniversity Of Osaka

Kapil BhartiJeanne LoringKohji Nishida

What are the next steps planned regarding this research?: The study, published in The Lancet, suggests that this approach to treating corneal damage holds great promise, and clinical trials are planned to further evaluate the treatment's effectiveness.
What were the observed side effects of the transplant procedure?: Two years post-transplant, none of the recipients experienced severe side effects. The grafts didn't form tumors or show signs of rejection, even in two patients who did not receive immunosuppressant drugs.
What are the potential reasons for the observed improvements in vision?: The improvements in vision are possibly due to the transplanted cells proliferating in the recipient's corneas, the removal of scar tissue, or the transplantation triggering the migration of the recipient's cells and corneal rejuvenation.
Describe the procedure used to create the corneal epithelial cells for transplantation.: The procedure involved taking blood cells from a healthy donor, reprogramming them into an embryonic-like state, and transforming them into a thin sheet of corneal epithelial cells. This sheet was then sewn onto the damaged cornea, covering the scar tissue.
What were the main findings of the study on stem cell transplants for vision impairment?: Three individuals with severe vision impairment who received stem cell transplants experienced significant improvements in their vision that lasted over a year. A fourth person also saw improvements, but they were not lasting.

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