[blindza] Possible cure for certain types of blindness
- From: "Jacob Kruger" <jacobk@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "BlindZA" <blindza@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 20 Jan 2009 15:30:16 +0200
Original article here:
http://www.iol.co.za:80/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=nw20090119124514267C829906&newslett=1&em=169772a6a20090120ah
(and content thereof below)
Jacob Kruger
Blind Biker
Skype: BlindZA
'...Fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'
---original content---
London - British scientists will soon begin trialling a cutting-edge
treatment using adult stem cells that could help cure certain types of
blindness, they announced on Monday.
The two-year trial, to be conducted at the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion
in Edinburgh and the Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow, will begin this
month and involve 20 patients with corneal blindness.
The treatment being used involves using the stem cells of dead adult donors,
rather than the more controversial research involving embryonic stem cells,
and if successful could help millions of people around the world who suffer
from corneal blindness, around 80 percent of whom are elderly.
As part of the process, adult stem cells are cultivated and then
transplanted onto the cornea's surface.
"This study is the first of its kind anywhere in the world and it is
exciting to be involved in such groundbreaking work," said Professor Bal
Dhillon, who is heading the trial.
"I probably see two or three new cases of corneal disease every month. On a
larger scale, it's a significant problem."
A similar study by the University of Pennsylvania in the United States last
year found that people with inherited blindness saw dramatic improvements in
their vision when a corrective gene was injected into their eyes.
Scientists believe stem cells, which are capable of developing into almost
every tissue of the body, could prove key in finding a cure for a number of
serious diseases, including also diabetes and cancer. - Sapa-AFP
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