Stem Cell Trial to Reverse Incurable Vision Loss

Doctors at the Moorfield Eye Hospital in London will be conducting the first ever trial in Europe to try and reverse incurable sight loss by injecting stem cells into the eyes of 12 volunteers. The controversial trial has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and will involve injecting more than 200,000 stem cells behind one of the retinas with the doctors hoping that it will reverse the process of macular degeneration, also known as Stargardt disease.

Stating that Stargardt disease leads to the degeneration of the supporting pigment cells in the retina, lead researcher Professor James Bainbridge said, “Stargard's is a gene defect that directly affects photo-receptor cells, which causes a secondary degeneration of the supporting pigment cells. The idea of injecting fresh pigment cells is to repopulate these supporting cells, in the hope that they will slow down the overall degeneration.”

Source-Medindia