PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Stem cell therapy holds great promise for the treatment of retinal diseases. This review summarizes recent advances in stem cell biology, outlines ongoing clinical trials and details the obstacles that must be overcome for stem cell therapy to be a viable treatment for retinal disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Stem cells can now be directed to specific retinal cell fates with high yields and acceptable purity for clinical trials. New stem cell sources have been discovered including induced pluripotent stem cells that can be derived from adult tissues then differentiated into multiple retinal cell types. The initial results of clinical trials of subretinal transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium cells in patients with Stargardt's macular dystrophy and dry age-related macular degeneration showed preliminary safety and possible visual acuity benefits. A phase I trial of intravitreally injected autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells for hereditary retinal dystrophy demonstrated no evidence of toxicity with possible visual acuity benefits but no structural or functional changes. Ongoing trials are examining the trophic effects of undifferentiated umbilical cells for the treatment of geographic atrophy in age-related macular degeneration. SUMMARY: Stem cell therapy is a promising treatment under active investigation in multiple retinal diseases. Ongoing clinical trials should yield further insights into the potential for stem cell-based retinal therapies.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Stem cell therapy holds great promise for the treatment of retinal diseases. This review summarizes recent advances in stem cell biology, outlines ongoing clinical trials and details the obstacles that must be overcome for stem cell therapy to be a viable treatment for retinal disease. RECENT FINDINGS: Stem cells can now be directed to specific retinal cell fates with high yields and acceptable purity for clinical trials. New stem cell sources have been discovered including induced pluripotent stem cells that can be derived from adult tissues then differentiated into multiple retinal cell types. The initial results of clinical trials of subretinal transplantation of human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium cells in patients with Stargardt's macular dystrophy and dry age-related macular degeneration showed preliminary safety and possible visual acuity benefits. A phase I trial of intravitreally injected autologous bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells for hereditary retinal dystrophy demonstrated no evidence of toxicity with possible visual acuity benefits but no structural or functional changes. Ongoing trials are examining the trophic effects of undifferentiated umbilical cells for the treatment of geographic atrophy in age-related macular degeneration. SUMMARY: Stem cell therapy is a promising treatment under active investigation in multiple retinal diseases. Ongoing clinical trials should yield further insights into the potential for stem cell-based retinal therapies.
Authors: Dhruv Sareen; Mehrnoosh Saghizadeh; Loren Ornelas; Michael A Winkler; Kavita Narwani; Anais Sahabian; Vincent A Funari; Jie Tang; Lindsay Spurka; Vasu Punj; Ezra Maguen; Yaron S Rabinowitz; Clive N Svendsen; Alexander V Ljubimov Journal: Stem Cells Transl Med Date: 2014-07-28 Impact factor: 6.940
Authors: Anat Yanai; Christopher R J Laver; Aaron W Joe; Ishaq A Viringipurampeer; Xia Wang; Cheryl Y Gregory-Evans; Kevin Gregory-Evans Journal: Tissue Eng Part C Methods Date: 2013-03-15 Impact factor: 3.056
Authors: Robert W Lindblad; Laarni Ibenana; John E Wagner; David H McKenna; Derek J Hei; Peiman Hematti; Larry A Couture; Leslie E Silberstein; Myriam Armant; Cliona M Rooney; Adrian P Gee; Lisbeth A Welniak; Traci Heath Mondoro; Deborah A Wood; David Styers Journal: Transfusion Date: 2014-10-14 Impact factor: 3.157
Authors: Girish K Srivastava; David Rodriguez-Crespo; Amar K Singh; Clara Casado-Coterillo; Ivan Fernandez-Bueno; Maria T Garcia-Gutierrez; Joaquin Coronas; J Carlos Pastor Journal: Biomed Res Int Date: 2014-02-02 Impact factor: 3.411