Could stem cells cure BLINDNESS? Retina grown in a laboratory used to treat monkeys with rare genetic condition
A rare genetic condition which can cause blindness in families could be treated using stem cells following tests by scientists. Researchers in Japan grew tissue grafts from human embryonic stem cells, which they used to treat monkeys suffering from retinitis pigmentosa (RP). The inherited condition causes the light-sensitive cells in the retina – the tissue at the back of the eye – to gradually die, leading to sight loss. A team of Japanese researchers have successfully used embryonic stem cells to treat animals with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a rare inherited condition in which the light-sensitive cells in the retina gradually die. By growing tissue grafts from embryonic stem cells they were able to treat animals But the new study has raised hopes that stem cells can be used as a treatment for the condition. The research was carried out by scientists at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, Japan, who used human embryonic stem...