Scientists have offered a ray of hope for the reversal of vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration. For the first time, human embryonic stem cells were safely used to treat patients with two different forms of the disease. The subjects had been legally blind and they regained the ability to see, albeit to a limited degree. Lead author Steven Schwartz, MD of the University of California Los Angeles and his colleagues published their report in "The Lancet." Especially heartening was the fact that they found during a four-month follow-up that the transplants did not cause any problems such as retinal detachment or abnormal growth.
The researchers acknowledged that using cells from human embryos has been a hot button issue but they also emphasized that these cells could pose the risk of tumors, unwanted proliferation, or rejection. They felt that treating macular degeneration was logical because of characteristics of the eye that could put the brakes on adverse events. They also pointed out that animal trials had not been associated with any problems.
In their report, the researchers summed up their findings by saying: "The future therapeutic goal will be to treat patients earlier in the disease processes, potentially increasing the likelihood of photoreceptor and central visual rescue."
