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Stem cells to treat AMD
A pioneering technique may restore sight to many people with age-related macular degeneration within the next three years
Around half a million people who suffer from AMD, Britain's leading cause of blindness, could have their sight restored thanks to a groundbreaking new surgical treatment. The therapy, which involves transplanting human stem cells to replace faulty cells in the retina, has been developed by a collaboration of doctors and scientists led by specialists from the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
Patients could be having the transplants within three years. Patches of cells will be injected into the back of the eye to replace damaged cells. At the moment, there is no treatment for the more common 'dry' AMD and only limited treatment options for those diagnosed with 'wet' AMD.
The team, working under the umbrella of The London Project, believe that the procedure should be able to stabilise and restore vision in the vast majority of patients suffering from all types of AMD.
Professor Pete Coffey, of the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Director on The London Project, said: 'The London Project aims to deliver treatment for a disease which has no alternative therapy. Using stem cells – which are far more adaptable – can only improve success of what has already been achieved and in addition establish this as a global therapy.'
About a quarter of people over 60 in the UK suffer from some degree of visual impairment as a result of AMD and nearly 14 million people across Europe have lost their sight completely through the condition.
AMD occurs when cells in an essential part of the retina, called the macula, become damaged and die. This degeneration of the macula affects the central vision so sufferers have difficulty reading, writing or even recognizing someone's face.
'Dry' AMD tends to be less severe and develops more slowly. 'Wet' AMD, occurs in about 10 per cent of cases and is likely to cause severe vision loss relatively quickly. It is not known why some people develop the condition.
Surgical treatments using the patient's own cells have already had some success in trials in a small number of patients and it is hoped that using stem cells will make the procedure even more effective.
'This is extremely exciting work,' says Tom Bremridge, Chief Executive of The Macular Disease Society, ' For the first time we are seeing hope for people suffering from dry macular degeneration who up until now have no treatment options available.'
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