Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

Stem Cell Transplants Show Promise To Treat Severe Eye Damage BOSTON, MA - June 3, 1999 -- A new study that uses stem cell transplants to treat severe eye damage shows great promise as a future surgical therapy, experts at The Schepens Eye Research Institute say. "The fact that there is significant improvement in 51 percent of the patients is indeed encouraging and the work suggests that therapies involving stem cell replacement hold great promise," said Ilene Gipson, Ph.D., senior scientist at The Schepens Eye Research Institute. The new treatment, reported today in the New England Journal of Medicine by a research group in Tokyo, involves regenerating damaged corneal surfaces by transplanting corneal epithelial stem cells - immature cells that can grow over the surface of the eye to help provide clear corneal tissue. After removing damaged corneas, surgeons transplanted clear corneas from deceased donors to the eye surface and then grafted peripheral corneal segments which contained corneal epithelial stem cells into 43 eyes of 39 legally blind patients. There was marked improvement in 51 percent of the patients. The cornea is the transparent window on the surface of the eye through which light passes. The outermost layer of the cornea is a five- to seven-cell layer epithelium which is responsible for protection of the cornea and for providing a smooth, wet, refractive and transparent surface. These cells on the surface are constantly turning over, just like the outer layers of the skin. Stem cells are immature progenitor cells that can grow into mature tissue. Stem cells for the corneal epithelium are located at the periphery of the cornea. The Japanese study found that 35 percent of the corneas became completely clear and that the patients had visual acuity restored to a level that allowed them to perform daily activities. All patients gained enough visual acuity to become more self-sufficient. An expert on ocular surface disease, Gipson said that the study uses techniques that have been available for about a decade. "This study represents the first time an important systematic statistical analysis of the procedure has been undertaken in a relatively large group of patients suffering from systemic disease or severe ocular surface injury," she said. The Japan group treated patients who had severe damage to the eye surface either through chemical or thermal injuries, or through conditions such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome or ocular pemphigoid in which conventional corneal transplants would not restore sight. James Zieske, senior scientist at The Schepens Eye Research Institute who studies corneal epithelial stem cells and wound healing, said that the Tokyo study is valuable for its extensive follow-up -- patients were followed for about a year -- and the large number of patients. "This may be a very useful treatment for a few last resort patients to provide sight," he said. Related Links: New England Journal of Medicine E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version