Stem cells and retinopathy

This is a reprint of an article that I recently published on Digital Journal:

Diabetic retinopathy is a common complication of diabetes and it is often treated with laser therapy, but researchers say that stem cells could be used as a possible treatment for diabetic retinopathy. 

Researchers at Eugene and Marilyn Glick Eye Institute and the Indiana Center for Vascular Biology at Indiana University School will be working on the $2 million study, which has been funded by the National Eye Institute, and the hope is the new research will stop vision loss and maybe even reverse it. A preliminary study has shown stem cells to be effective in restoring vision loss in rodents by helping the damaged cells of the eyes to regenerate. Rajashekhar Gangaraju, Ph.D is assistant professor of ophthalmology and cellular and integrative physiology and will lead the study.

Commenting on the potential of the new research Dr Gangaraju said:

“We know the stem cells are migrating towards the blood vessels and are trying to arrest the leakage.”

“We believe this will be a therapy helpful for early stage diabetics, or those who have begun to suffer the effects of diabetes and have early vision loss due to the leaking blood vessels.”

“This work is a precursor to clinical trials involving patients. We believe the basic science mechanisms will translate to a bedside treatment for diabetic patients if we can reach them in the early stage of diabetes.”

Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy will often go unnoticed when the condition is in its early stages but advanced symptoms can include blurred vision and sudden vision loss.

Diabetics are advised to take advantage of the eye screenings, which are offered free of charge in the UK, to detect any signs of the disease before it can cause damage to the eyesight. 

You can read the original article by going to:

http://digitaljournal.com/article/345767

Stem cells could treat type one diabetes

Many diabetics dream of a cure for their disease, and while there have been some breakthroughs such as pancreatic transplants, there has been little in the way of a real cure.  However, scientists  from the University of British Columbia say that they have reversed diabetes in mice by using stem cells.

Timothy Kieffer, a professor in the Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, working alongside scientists from BetaLogics, a company based in New Jersey, have shown that transplanting human stem cells into mice can restore insulin production and reverse diabetes.  However, it should be remembered that this research is in its early stages and how well this would work in humans is unclear, but it is still reason for hope.

Once the stem cell transplant had been completed the mice were gradually weaned off insulin over a 3-4 month period.  The mice were able to maintain good glucose control even when they given high amounts of sugar.

Commenting in a press release, Kieffer said:

"We are very excited by these findings, but additional research is needed before this approach can be tested clinically in humans.”

“The studies were performed in diabetic mice that lacked a properly functioning immune system that would otherwise have rejected the cells. We now need to identify a suitable way of protecting the cells from immune attack so that the transplant can ultimately be performed in the absence of any immunosuppression.”