A pioneering treatment based on induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) has restored vision in four individuals, opening new prospects for eye care.
An innovative stem cell transplant has allowed four patients with severe vision problems to partially recover their sight. This intervention, the first of its kind globally, could represent a significant advance in the treatment of damaged corneas. Published in The Lancet, the study showed lasting improvements in three patients, while the fourth experienced only temporary benefits.
Kapil Bharti, a researcher at the U.S. National Eye Institute, described the results as “a fundamental step.” Jeanne Loring, a stem cell expert at the Scripps Research Institute, also highlighted how this technology could offer new hope to patients with complex ocular diseases.
An Innovative Approach to Corneal Regeneration
The technique relies on the use of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS), derived from blood cells of healthy donors and reprogrammed back to a primitive, embryonic-like state. These cells were then used to create corneal epithelial cells, with the goal of regenerating the eye’s outer transparent layer.
Stem cells located in the limbal region around the iris play a crucial role in corneal health but can be damaged by trauma or disease, resulting in vision loss. This condition, known as limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), is difficult to treat, and traditional transplants can be ineffective or rejected.
Ophthalmologist Kohji Nishida from Osaka University in Japan led the team that carried out the experimental treatments on four volunteers aged 39 to 72. During the intervention, the scar tissue was removed from one eye per patient, and a thin layer of epithelial cells derived from iPS cells was placed on the cornea.
New Horizons for Ocular Therapies
Two years post-transplant, none of the patients reported serious side effects. The transplanted cells did not form tumors, and no cases of rejection were observed, even in two patients who did not receive immunosuppressants. “It is encouraging to observe the lack of rejection,” Bharti commented.
Immediately after the transplant, all patients reported visual improvement and a reduction in corneal scarring. In three cases, the results remained stable over time, while one patient experienced a slight regression after a year.
Researchers believe the visual improvement may be due to various factors, including the removal of scar tissue before the transplant, the proliferation of transplanted cells, or the stimulation of the patient’s own healthy cells to regenerate the cornea.
Nishida’s team plans to start a new round of clinical trials in March to further assess the therapy’s effectiveness, while other iPS cell-based studies are already underway for various ocular diseases. “The current results are promising and encourage us to continue along this path,” Bharti concluded.
Bibliography
1. Mallapaty, Smriti. “World-first stem-cell treatment restores vision in people.” Nature, 2024, https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-03656-z.
2. Nishida, K., et al. (2024). World-first stem-cell treatment restores vision in people. The Lancet. Retrieved from https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01764-1/fulltext
