Stem cells collected from human corneas restore transparency when injected into eyes that are scarred and hazy, according to experiments conducted in mice by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Their study will be published in the journal Stem Cells and appears online today.
The findings suggest that ethical cell-based therapies might be an effective way to treat human corneal blindness and vision impairment due to the scarring that occurs after infection, trauma and other common eye problems. The Pitt corneal stem cells were able to remodel scar-like tissue back to normal.
"Several kinds of experiments indicated that the human cells were alive and making (proteins), and that the tissue had rebuilt properly," said senior investigator James L. Funderburgh, Ph.D.
The study comes on the heels of President Barack Obama's decision to open the door for more federal funding for destructive embryonic stem-cell research, which has not led to a single human treatment.
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Oprah Winfrey was surprised to hear about the successes of ethical stem-cell research.
— Jennifer Mesko
