5/30/2010 PERMALINK
Researchers create retina from human embryonic stem cells. Reeve-Irvine Research Center and the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center at University of California, Irvine : Scientists have created an eight-layer, early-stage retina from human embryonic stem cells, the first three-dimensional tissue structure to be made from stem cells. It also marks the first step toward the development of transplant-ready retinas to treat eye disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and macular degeneration that affect millions. 'We made a complex structure consisting of many cell types,' said study leader Hans Keirstead of UCI. 'This is a major advance in our quest to treat retinal disease.' In previous studies on spinal cord injury, the Keirstead group originated a method by which human embryonic stem cells could be directed to become specific cell types, a process called differentiation. Results of those studies are leading to the world's first clinical trial using a stem cell-based therapy for acute spinal cord injury.