Scientists have found a possible way to restore vision in glaucoma using stem cells taken from the patient’s blood. The research was published in the journal PNAS.
Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide and is irreversible due to the loss of retinal ganglion cells. It has been suggested to combat this disease with stem cell transplantation, but most donor cells remain at the injection site and do not migrate to the retina where they are needed most.
To solve this problem, the authors of the new paper first grew retinal ganglion cells from blood stem cells and then tested the ability of hundreds of signaling molecules known as chemokines to direct these new cells to the correct location in the retina. Scientists managed to find 12 suitable chemokines; The stromal growth factor SDF-1 appeared to be the most effective.
Then, in experiments on mice, scientists modified the eye’s microenvironment to allow them to recruit stem cells from the blood and transform them into retinal ganglion cells that can migrate to the retina and survive.
The study’s senior author, Dr. D., of the Schepens Eye and Ear Research Institute. “This method of using chemokines to control the movement and integration of donor cells represents a promising approach to restoring vision in patients with glaucoma,” said Petr Baranov. .
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