The Food and Drug Administration (FDA, for its acronym in English) approved a clinical trial with humans to test a new treatment of embryonic cells from a form of blindness. The therapy involves transplanting stem cells into the eyes of patients with Stargardt disease, an inherited macular degeneration that begins in childhood.
The biotechnology company Advanced Cell Technology was authorized to carry out initial tests with 12 patients, after successful results in mice.
As the BBC said Dr. Robert Lanza, scientific director of the company, this is the beginning of a "new era" in stem cell research.
"We are using embryonic cells to generate a type of cell called the retinal pigment epithelium, "said the researcher.
These cells, the photoreceptors responsible for capturing the light in the eye, begin to die in people suffering from various eye diseases such as macular degeneration or Stargardt disease.
Patients with this disorder often experience blurred vision, difficulty seeing in low light conditions and eventually lose their ability to see.
Dr. Lanza said, "Our goal is to use embryonic stem cells to create new populations of these cells could subsequently be transplanted into the patient and not just prevent disease progression but also to restore some visual function.
transplant, said the researcher, is performed by injecting the cells into the patient's eye so that they can recover the entire photoreceptor layer of the retina .
Landmark study
This is the second time the FDA granted permission to use embryonic stem cells in human patients.
In October, the biotechnology company Geron announced the launch of the first clinical trial with embryonic stem cells repair spinal cord injuries.
The new experiment, beginning in early 2011, is designed primarily to test the safety of the therapy.
But according to Dr. Lanza, as demonstrated in animal tests, the first signs of visual improvement in patients may be apparent in the first six weeks.
"In the rat study saw an improvement of 100% in the visual control animals that received treatment had a disorder similar to what occurs in humans," said the scientist.
"The results showed that stem cells were able to restore photoreceptors extensively in animals," he said.
embryonic stem cells, derived from embryos a few days of gestation from in vitro fertilization treatments can become any of the dozens of specialized cells in the body. Revolutionary
According to experts, the research being carried out with these cells could revolutionize medicine because of its potential in situ repair damaged tissues and organs without the need to carry out transplants of whole organs.
"This is the beginning of a new era in stem cell research," said Dr. Lanza.
"And after a decade of intense controversy, we are finally ready to prove it works and can help patients suffering from terrible diseases. "
In fact, treatment is controversial because some claim that the procedure involves" the deliberate destruction of potential human beings, even if only three-day embryos gesture. "
But Dr. Lanza said that in this case, the embryos were not destroyed because the cells created were generated from a single cell without harming the embryo.
" We must understand that children of six years of age they begin to lose their sight due to diseases such as Stargardt's terrible, "said the scientist.
" If we the ability to use cells that can grow in a petri dish to prevent these children and adults to lose their vision, I think as a doctor, it would be irresponsible not to use this treatment. "(BBC)
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