Certain cells, called corneal limbal stromal cells, have been identified in the eye, which could lead to a new treatment to cure blinding eye conditions.
The finding was published in the British Journal for Ophthalmology and came from a team led by Professor Andrew Lotery, at the University of Southhampton, who discovered that these cells, which were taken from the front surface of the eye, could be cultured to form retinal cells because they have stem cell characteristics.
The authors believe that this could lead to a new strategy to treat eye conditions, such as:
retinitis pigmentosa - an inherited and degenerative disease in which there is damage to the retina and can result in night blindness, serious vision problems, tunnel vision, and loss of side vision
wet age-related macular degeneration- a condition that occurs in people over the age of 50 that causes central vision loss and makes it difficult for people to see things that are directly in front of them, affecting writing, reading, and driving
There have been many studies exploring potential treatment options for these conditions. One report found that omega-3 can help slow down the progression of retinitis pigmentosa and a different report indicated that VEGF Trap-Eye was approved by the FDA as an effective treatment for wet age-related macular degeneration.
According to the team, by using corneal limbus cells, patients would avoid complications with rejection or contamination because these cells are taken from their own eyes and returned back to them.
This is a huge breakthrough for the prevention and treatment of eye conditions and blindness, Professor Lotery, who is also a Consultant Ophthalmologist at Southampton General Hospital, said.
Lotery concluded:
"We were able to characterize the corneal limbal stromal cells found on the front surface of the eye and identify the precise layer in the cornea that they came from. We were then successful in culturing them in a dish to take on some of the properties of retinal cells.
We are now investigating whether these cells could be taken from the front of the eye and be used to replace diseased cells in the back of the eye in the retina. If successful this would open up new and efficient ways of treating people who have blinding eye conditions." |
