After more than 20 years of research, doctors at UCLA’s Jules Stein Eye Institute have begun treating the first patients in clinical trials for two progressive eye diseases that cause blindness: dry age-related macular degeration and Stargardt’s macular dystrophy.

The patients were given an injection of specialized eye cells that were derived from embryonic stem cells. Dr. Steven Schwartz, who is leading the trial at UCLA, performed both stem cell transplant surgeries Tuesday. The two patients are said to be recovering without complications.

According to Dr. Robert Lanza, chief scientific officer at Advanced Cell Technologies Inc., which developed the cells and is sponsoring the trials, “you could feel the excitement in the air and that history was being made.”

The Food and Drug Administration in November approved the company’s plans to test cells created from human embryonic stem cells on 12 patients suffering from each condition. Each patient will undergo a procedure in which between 50,000 to 200,000 retinal pigmented epithelial cells created from human embryonic stem cells will be injected into their eyes.” Investigators “hope the cells will replace those ravaged by the diseases.” Previous research in rat models indicated that some vision was restored.

Stargardt’s is a genetic disorder and it strikes earlier in life. Patients start to notice visual changes as early as their teens and as late as their forties. There are a number of known genetic abnormalities in the photoreceptors that are toxic over time.

In this trial, what cells in the eye are you replacing with stem cells?

Advanced Cell Technologies Inc. has been able to take [embryonic] stem cells and differentiate them into highly functional retinal pigment epithelium that do everything they’re supposed to do. Our strategy of giving the eye brand-new, ready-to-go retinal pigment epithelium is designed for areas that are compromised, not for the areas that are gone. So we need to catch it early enough for this treatment to work.

Will the patients regain vision?

The patients’ central vision is already gone. Not rescuable. So the patients we’re enrolling in this trial know they will not be getting their central vision back.

If not to restore vision, what is the goal?

This is a safety trial. It’s not designed to improve vision. It may; and if we see a signal, that would be great news and we’re hoping we will. It’s plausible biologically, but that’s not what we’re looking for.

What results are you hoping to see?

I hope what happens is that we find this is safe and that we can optimize the dosing, and that allows us to move into eyes that are earlier in disease. That could have a real visual upside.

How long is the surgery?

Under an hour. It’s an outpatient procedure done with local anesthesia. It’s a surgery that we’ve done before – not with the injection of these stem cells, but we’ve accessed the eye before, and that’s one of the things that I’ve had a lot to do with surgically.

What does this trial mean for medicine?

We’re super-privileged to be taking this first step. It’s the unknown. These patients are doing a service for mankind. It’s inspirational.

Related articles

• Stem Cells in Ophthalmology Update 9: First Patients Treated (irvaronsjournal.blogspot.com)
• New Human Embryonic Stem Cell Study For Dry AMD And Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Two Patients Undergo Stem-Cell Blindness Treatment (technologyreview.com)
• Stem cell therapies move into the real world

Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, is redness and inflammation of the membranes (conjunctiva) covering the whites of the eyes and the membranes on the inner part of the eyelids. These membranes react to a wide range of bacteria, viruses, allergy provoking agents, irritants, and toxic agents, as well as to underlying diseases within the body.

Viral and bacterial forms of conjunctivitis are common in childhood, but they occur in adults as well. There are no recommended antiviral drugs to treat a highly contagious form of viral conjunctivitis called pinkeye.

Outbreaks result in millions of lost school and workdays each year in the U.S. as patients stay home to avoid infecting others while the condition improves.

Now early research from Sweden suggests that an experimental eye drop might stop viral pinkeye in its tracks and keep family members, schoolmates, coworkers, and other close contacts of patients from becoming infected.

The drops have not been studied in humans, but researchers state they are optimistic the treatment will prevent infection by tricking the virus into binding to artificial surfaces in the drops designed to mimic key cells in the eye.

Once this happens, the entrapped virus should be easily washed from the eye in tears, states researcher Ulf Ellervik, PhD, who is a professor of microbiology at Sweden’s Umea University.

“Pinkeye is a very troublesome condition,” Ellervik says. “If one family member gets it, usually everyone gets it.”

The experimental treatment targets adenoviruses 8, 19, and 37, which cause most viral conjunctivitis.

Pinkeye Treatment Coming Soon?

A new technology described in the latest issue of Popular Science Magazine describes Etiam iaculis, nulla a pretium pharetra, quam metus porttitor tellus, in fringilla mi ligula in sem. In aliquet convallis diam nec pretium. Pellentesque malesuada consectetur diam vel bibendum. Vivamus sodales, dui fringilla aliquet suscipit, nunc dui congue odio, eget interdum quam diam nec justo. Proin auctor sem in lectus gravida lacinia. Sed mollis, libero at venenatis ultrices, arcu dui semper urna, non auctor metus est ac turpis. Nulla facilisi. Donec consectetur aliquet risus, auctor tincidunt dolor pulvinar sed. Phasellus pellentesque, neque vitae hendrerit molestie, nibh sem semper ipsum, in facilisis turpis urna ut magna. Maecenas dui orci, luctus ut eleifend ac, consequat ac orci.

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