According to a study published in The Lancet, stem-cell transplants using reprogrammed stem cells have led massive and long-lasting improvements in the vision of people with severely damaged corneas.
Four patients with limbal stem-cell deficiency (LSCD), a condition that causes blindness due to scar tissue on the cornea, received transplants of corneal cells derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. All of that is to say their eyes were seriously screwed up and now they’re better, thanks to the wonders of stem cell research.
Videos by VICE
New Stem Cell Treatment Restores Vision In Four People
Well, mostly better. Three of the patients showed major vision improvements for over a year while the fourth only experienced temporary gains. LSCD typically requires corneal transplants from a healthy donor or the patient’s eye, but it’s a really risky procedure.
On the other hand, the iPS-cell-based procedure used by Dr. Kohji Nishida at Osaka University reprogrammed healthy blood cells back into an embryonic-like state. The cells are used to create a sheet of transparent tissue that’s grafted onto the damaged corneas. All four of the patients underwent this procedure sometime between 2019 and 2020.
The transplanted cells didn’t form tumors or show signs of immune rejection even after two patients didn’t take the immunosuppressant drugs. All the patients had immediate improvements to their vision. The researchers theorize that the transplanted cells triggered the patient’s own cells to rejuvenate the cornea.
