Adult Stem Cells Restoring Sight

Before and After Stem Cell Treatment/Photo AP (Via)

This is fantastic news:

Dozens of people who were blinded or otherwise suffered severe eye damage when they were splashed with caustic chemicals had their sight restored with transplants of their own stem cells — a stunning success for the burgeoning cell-therapy field, Italian researchers reported Wednesday.

The treatment worked completely in 82 of 107 eyes and partially in 14 others, with benefits lasting up to a decade so far. One man whose eyes were severely damaged more than 60 years ago now has near-normal vision.

“This is a roaring success,” said ophthalmologist Dr. Ivan Schwab of the University of California, Davis, who had no role in the study — the longest and largest of its kind.

Four years ago, the score was Adult Stem Cells 72, Embryonic Stem Cells 0. Successful therapeutic applications from embryonic cells are still at 0.

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