(An Educational Video about Iduced Pluripotent Stem Cells)
ScienceDaily (June 18, 2011) — Researchers have used cutting-edge stem cell technology to correct a genetic defect present in a rare blinding disorder, another step on a promising path that may one day lead to therapies to reverse blindness caused by common retinal diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa which affect millions of individuals.
ScienceDaily (June 18, 2011) — Researchers have used cutting-edge stem cell technology to correct a genetic defect present in a rare blinding disorder, another step on a promising path that may one day lead to therapies to reverse blindness caused by common retinal diseases such as macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa which affect millions of individuals.
"When we generate iPS cells, correct the gene defect that is responsible for this disease, and guide these stem cells to become RPE cells, these RPE cells functioned normally. This is exciting because it demonstrates we can fix something that is out of order. It also supports our belief that in the future, one might be able to use this approach for replacement of cells lost or malfunctioning due to other more common diseases of the retina," said lead study author cell biologist Jason Meyer, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology in the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.
Macular degeneration is the most common cause of blindness, affecting an estimated 25-30 million people worldwide. One and a half million people worldwide are affected by retinitis pigmentosa.
Because iPS cells can be derived from the specific patient who needs them, use of these cells may avoid the problem of transplant rejection. In the study, vitamin B-6 also was used to treat the damaged RPE cells producing healthy cells that functioned normally. The retina is a relatively easily accessible part of the central nervous system, which makes it an attractive target for correction with iPS cells. Researchers are hopeful that once the gene defect responsible for a blinding disorder is corrected in iPS cells, these cells may be able to restore vision.
In addition to Meyer of the School of Science at IUPUI, "Optic Vesicle-like Structures Derived from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Facilitate a Customized Approach to Retinal Disease Treatment" is co-authored by Sara E. Howden, Kyle A. Wallace, Amelia D. Verhoeven, Lynda S. Wright, Elizabeth E. Capowski, Jessica M. Martin, Shulan Tian, Ron Stewart, Bikash Pattnaik, James Thomson and David M. Gamm, all of the University of Wisconsin; and Isabel Pinilla of Blesa University Hospital and the Instituto Aragones de Ciencias de la Salud in Spain. Meyer is also a primary investigator with the Stark Neurosciences Research Institute at Indiana University School of Medicine. Thomson is also associated with the University of California -- Santa Barbara.
Reflections:
So Blindness can be reversed after all! Thanks to a professor called Shinya Yamanaka, Human-induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells can be directed to develop into light-sensing photoreceptor cells of the retina. It is hoped that these cells can be used to better understand and treat human disease affecting the visual system.Nowadays, as technology is being more and more developed, treatments of various deseases have started to surface, just like this Stem Cell treatment, which i believe lasted for very long during the trials.
Macular degeneration is the most common cause of blindness, affecting an estimated 25-30 million people worldwide. One and a half million people worldwide are affected by retinitis pigmentosa. Almost 10 percent of the worldwide population is affected by blindness and similar eye diseases, i feel that there is actually a need for a cure for blindess and this professor has done it, he had identified the cause of concern accurately and also surprisingly managed to even deduce a treatment for it. Sometimes, inventions of medicines, and cures always start with ideas, these ideas slowly form into trials and then being approved into the commercial sector. Cures always start with ideas and brainstorming. And also most importantly, a vast amount of research. Almost everyone knows that stem cells can be regenerated to any of our body's systems and they might think, why cant i just regenerate a brain or a heart using stem cells when a patient has heart failure or brain death? It is actually discored possible now, and many studies have started. But everything contains risks, using stem cells to regerate brain cells, or even used to treat blindess may cause caner as the stem cells might not grow properly and in the end, grow into cancer cells.
Somatic cells can be induced to convert to a pluripotent state simply by forcing the expression of a few genes, opens a phenomenal number of possibilities in regenerative medicine. However, the mutation of these genes actually resembles that of the mutation of cancer genes, thus, i hope that in depth studies would be conducted before the use of stem cell to treat illnesses and diseases is approved. We do not want an increase of cancer cases due to the use of stem cell treatments. Thus, everyone should execute caution with stem cell treatments and everything comes at a risk, however, as these treatments are new, and for illnesses like blindness which is uncurable with any other treatment, a sufferer should consider going for it as there is still a limited chance of success! One may never know if his/her treatment will succeed. I end my long reflection here and continue to read through my blog as it gets updated with newer posts!
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