It was announced last week that the first ever European trails using embryonic stem cells has been approved by regulators. Moorfields Eye Hospital in London will start the trails on 12 patients with Stargardts Disease, a form of macular degeneration, which causes sight loss at an early age.
The initial trails will take the form of injecting tiny amounts of retinal stem cells into the eye, initially to assess the safety of the procedure. If this is successful it is hoped that higher doses will help regenerate the damaged retina and restore eyesight, effectively “curing” the disease.
In America, trails in safety of stem cell therapy for people with spinal injuries is already taking place. Bone marrow transplants using stem cells and the growing of a new windpipe from the patient’s own stem cells have been successful in recent years.
Macular Degeneration (MD) is one of the biggest causes of sight loss (47% in the UK). It’s thought that if everyone lived long enough, everyone would eventually develop some form of MD and become blind. Stem cells can regenerate all forms of human tissue, so it is hoped that this treatment could help other forms of degenerative sight loss.
There is some controversy over the use of stem cells in medicine. It is opposed by Pro-Life groups because the embryo is destroyed when the cells are harvested.
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