Stem cells reverse blindness caused by chemical burns

By Alicia Chang, associated ANGELES PressLOS dozens of persons who have been blinded or otherwise serious eye damage when they were sprayed with chemical substances, corrosive substances have their sight restored with transplants or their own stem cells — a stunning success on the field this cell terapiiNaukowców Italian reported Wednesday The treatment completely worked in 82 107 eye and partially in 14 other, with benefits lasting up to a decade now. One man whose eyes were severely damaged more than 60 years ago has now vision near normal. "It is a Roaring success, "said ophthalmologist Dr. Ivan Schwab from the University of California, Davis, who had no role in the study — the longest and largest of this type.Stem cell transplants offer hope to the thousands of people worldwide every year, which was suffering from chemical burns in their eyes from the harsh cleansers or other substances in the workplace or at home.Approach does not allow people with damage to the optic Nerve or macular degeneration, which includes the retina. Nor will work in people who are completely blind in both eyes, because doctors must be at least some healthy tissue, which can be used to transplant.In the study, published online by the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers took a small number of stem cells from the patient's eyes healthy, multiplied them in the laboratory and place them in the eye of roasted, where they were able to develop new corneal tissue to replace, which had been damaged. Because stem cells are from their own bodies, patients do not need to take anti-rejection drugs.Adult stem cells have been used for decades to cure blood cancers such as leukemia and diseases such as sickle cell anemia. But the problem of how damage to eyes is a relatively new uses.Scientists studying cell therapies for a host of other diseases, including diabetes and heart failure, with limited success.Adult stem cells, which are located around the body, they differ from embryonic stem cells that come from human embryos and the ethical issues are mixed, because deleting cells requires destroying embryos.Now people of eye burns, you can get an artificial cornea, a procedure that carries out such complications like infection and Glaucoma, or can be obtained is a transplant using stem cells from a cadaver, but need to take drugs to prevent rejection.An Italian study involved 106 patients treated between 1998 and 2007. Most had extensive damage to one eye, and some had such limited vision, that they could only sense, count fingers or perceive the hand movements. Many are blind for years and had unsuccessful restore their vision.The cells were taken from the limbus, rim around the cornea, the clear, which includes a colorful part of the eye. In a healthy eye stem cells in limbus are factories, mixing new cells to replace dead corneal cells. When injury kills off the stem cells, scar tissue forms of corneal clouding vision and causes blindness.In the study of Italian doctors removed scar tissue over the cornea and glued stem cells cultivated in the laboratory over the injured eye. In cases where both eyes are damaged by burns cells were taken from by limbus.Scientists after patients with an average of three years and some for as long as a decade. More than three-fourths of the regained sight after the show. Additional% 13 were considered a partial success. Although their vision improved, they still had some cloudiness in the cornea.Patients with superficial damage was visible in one to two months. Those with more extensive damage took several months longer. "They were very happy. Some said it was a miracle, "said one of the leaders of the research, the University of Modena Graziella Pellegrini Center for regenerative medicine in Italy. "There was no miracle. It was simply technique. "The test has been partly financed by the Italian Government.Researchers in the United States have been testing different way to use self-supplied stem cells, but the work is preliminary.One of the successful transplants or in Italian involved a man who had a serious injury in both eyes due to chemical burn in 1948. Doctors have been grafted stem cells with a small part of his left eye for both eyes. His vision now is close to normal.In 2008 they were settled in connection with the work of the citrus fruit chemical eye burns in the United States, according to the Bureau of Labour Statistics. Schwab UC Davis said transplants or stem cells could be not assist this blinded by burns in both eyes, because doctors need stem cells to follow procedure. "I don't want to give false hope to respond to their prayers, "he said Dr. Sophie Deng, expert of the cornea in the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute, said the biggest advantage is that the Italian doctors were able to expand the number of stem cells in the laboratory. This technique is less invasive than sampling large eye tissue and reduces the risk of injury to the eye. "The key is whether you can find good stem cell populations and expand it, "she said.Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 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