Blind to be cured with stem cells!! British scientists develope world's first theraphy to cure the most common cause for blindness

[Arjun]

BRITISH scientists have developed the world’s first stem cell therapy to cure the most common cause of blindness. Surgeons predict it will become a routine, one-hour procedure that will be generally available in six or seven years’ time.



The treatment involves replacing a layer of degenerated cells with new ones created from embryonic stem cells. It was pioneered by scientists and surgeons from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London and Moorfields eye hospital.



This week Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical research company, will announce its financial backing to bring the therapy to patients.
The treatment will tackle age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of blindness. It affects more than 500,000 Britons and the number is forecast to increase significantly as people live longer. The disease involves the loss of eye cells.



Under the new treatment, embryonic stem cells are transformed into replicas of the missing cells. They are then placed on an artificial membrane which is inserted in the back of the retina.
Tom Bremridge, chief executive of the Macular Disease Society, said: “This is a huge step forward for patients. We are extremely pleased that the big guns have become involved, because, once this treatment is validated, it will be made available to a huge volume of patients.”



Embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into all types of body tissue. Their use is controversial, however, because it involves the destruction of human embryos.
Laboratory trials completed by the British team have demonstrated that stem cells can prevent blindness in rats with a similar disease to AMD. They have also successfully tested elements of the technology in pigs.



The team is led by Professor Pete Coffey, director of the London Project to Cure Blindness, working alongside Lyndon da Cruz, a surgeon at Moorfields.
Coffey said the treatment would take “less than an hour, so it really could be considered as an outpatient procedure. We are trying to get it out as a common therapy”.



He welcomed Pfizer’s agreement to manufacture the membranes, saying: “This is a major development because of the size of the partner. We need a big pharmaceutical company to scale it up.
“We have nearly 14m people within Europe with AMD. This will ensure that the therapy gets through to clinical trials in a safe and effective manner.”



Professor Peng Khaw, director of the Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, added: “This shows that stem cell therapy is coming of age. It offers great hope for many sufferers around the world who cannot be treated with conventional treatment.” He added: “All my patients say to me is, ‘When will this stem cell treatment be ready? I want it now’.”



Pfizer’s role would be crucial in bringing production of the membranes to an industrial level.
The team is applying for regulatory approval for trials from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Human Tissue Authority and the gene therapy advisory committee.
The clinical trial, due within two years, is expected to be the second in the world to use embryonic stem cells on humans. The first, on patients with spinal cord injuries, will start this year in America.

link
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...S&attr=2015164



this is great news! Congrats to the scientists who, while braving the religious fundamentalist opposition have done a great service to humanity as a whole.

There will come a day in the future when the blind will see and the disabled would walk again!

[Erik]

I hereby volunteer to co-create all the necessary embryo's.

[Arjun]

I hereby volunteer to co-create all the necessary embryo's.

Thanks to the last 8 years of republican rule America is not the leader in Stem cell research...i hope they catch up soon, now that the fundie policies are reversed.


Imo the best way to defeat religious fundamentalism is to make such scientific breakthroughs...how many would avoid getting such treatment (i mean treatment that would make them/their loved ones see again!) on religious grounds? . Such developments would undercut the fundamentalist base more clearly than any government regulation. Education is the key; and such developments that alleviate the sufferings of millions is the best way to go about it.


The religious opposition would be left high and dry the same way it was left high and dry after the circumnavigation(coupled with other scientific evidence) showed to the common man that the world is NOT flat nor the center of the solar system(let alone the universe)

[Erik]

Imo the best way to defeat religious fundamentalism is to make such scientific breakthroughs...how many would avoid getting such treatment (i mean treatment that would make them/their loved ones see again!) on religious grounds? . Such developments would undercut the fundamentalist base more clearly than any government regulation. Education is the key; and such developments that alleviate the sufferings of millions is the best way to go about it.

Good idea, but don't underestimate the hypocrisy of the religious.

Christians are far more likely to commit abortions than atheists, yet they still cling on to their "religious objections" to it.

The religious opposition would be left high and dry the same way it was left high and dry after the circumnavigation(coupled with other scientific evidence) showed to the common man that the world is NOT flat nor the center of the solar system(let alone the universe)

Actually, the Church never claimed the world was flat, that's a myth spread by a biography on Columbus.

They did claim it was the center of the universe, though, and also that vacuums don't exist.

[Arjun]

Good idea, but don't underestimate the hypocrisy of the religious.

Christians are far more likely to commit abortions than atheists, yet they still cling on to their "religious objections" to it.

indeed. and I fail to see how people so "concerned" about the "life" of an Embryonic could condone wars. I mean surely if they are so outraged at the loss of life that they have to prevent embryonic stem cells(which would be discarded anyways!) from being used for science, they would have to go even further in their opposition to any firearms/wars etc etc as they take the lives of living breathing people.

i agree., its nothing but pure, unadulterated hypocrisy

[Phier]

indeed. and I fail to see how people so "concerned" about the "life" of an Embryonic could condone wars. I mean surely if they are so outraged at the loss of life that they have to prevent embryonic stem cells(which would be discarded anyways!) from being used for science, they would have to go even further in their opposition to any firearms/wars etc etc as they take the lives of living breathing people.

i agree., its nothing but pure, unadulterated hypocrisy

I'm pro-abortion because I think it helps clean the genepool a bit, but this argument is very old and very weak.

An abortion by default would end an innocent life. A life that never got a chance to be good or evil. Wars on the other hand are by adults who made their choices in life using their God given free will. The death of a murder is not the same as the death of a unborn child.

Your argument would only hold water if it worked that those who were anti-abortion were pro random slayings.

Using such simplistic and bad arguments never helps the pro-abortion crowd because they are so ridiculous and easy to shoot down. Hell I'm an atheist who doesn't really care about abortion and its easy for dismiss this line of thinking.

[mrmouth]

Thanks to the last 8 years of republican rule America is not the leader in Stem cell research...i hope they catch up soon, now that the fundie policies are reversed.

The US still gets the most cells for research. The worlds largest banks are in Wisconsin, and at Harvard. Twice as many shipments go to US researchers compared to the rest of the world.

The one difference is funding. But its fairly overrated.

you can rad all about SC advances, here:
http://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/

[Arjun]

The US still gets the most cells for research. The worlds largest banks are in Wisconsin, and at Harvard. Twice as many shipments go to US researchers compared to the rest of the world.

The one difference is funding. But its fairly overrated.

you can rad all about SC advances, here:
http://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/

yes; funding was the main issue, especially the government grants i believe

thanks for the link; ill definitely read it

My dad is a professional artist and he is going blind too. This science could save his eyesight and his livelihood.

that's great.

I hope this technology is not too expensive either, or maybe if it is it ought to be subsidized for people who cannot afford it.and before someone goes on to say that it should not be subsidized...i believe that subsidizing such treatment would be beneficial to the society in the longer run cos a person who might not be able to work due to such illnesses would not continue on to be productive members of the society; greatly lessening the burden on the public services(in other words; it pays of itself)

[Phier]

I hereby volunteer to co-create all the necessary embryo's.

You are obviously not a parent.

[Ron Burgundy?]

Hopefully one day they will be able to cure neonatal blindless.

[Каие]

Science wins again!

[Zephyrus]

Science wins again!

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

GOD created man, who then created science. FAIL on U!

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

This better belongs in the Athenaeum.

And from the experience of someone who has an (almost) deaf and elderly family member, stem-cell research is a bliss. Regenerating celular tissues previously uncapable of so in a controlled and reliable manner will put many disabled people back on track.

[Arjun]

This better belongs in the Athenaeum.

I thought so too; but on second thought posted it here because it has political implications.

And from the experience of someone who has an (almost) deaf and elderly family member, stem-cell research is a bliss. Regenerating celular tissues previously uncapable of so in a controlled and reliable manner will put many disabled people back on track.

exactly.

[C-Rob]

great. now all they have to do is fix alzheimers, and I'm set for life.

[YuriVII]

My dad is a professional artist and he is going blind too. This science could save his eyesight and his livelihood.

[gambit]

In the words of Peter Griffin: "Why are we not funding this?!"

[Каие]

In the words of Peter Griffin: "Why are we not funding this?!"

God.

People objected to stem cell research because it was done from embryo's, and it did not/does not need to be. It's just the most effective and easy to do. The Scientific accomplishments would still have been made- but we would be left with a clear conscience.

Since when did you care about a clear conscience?

[Scar Face]

Since when did you care about a clear conscience?

I don't, but I do care about consistency. Why do people pretend they have decency, morality, and respect without it? On the matter of principle, either be a controlled and good individual or do not be. On the matter of principle, take the high ground in cases of morality over pragmatism, or never do.

[Admiral Piett]

I don't, but I do care about consistency. Why do people pretend they have decency, morality, and respect without it? On the matter of principle, either be a controlled and good individual or do not be. On the matter of principle, take the high ground in cases of morality over pragmatism, or never do.

Well, this issue does clearly establish a difference between some people with different attitudes on moral issues. I'm personally not opposed to the idea so long as its not in the second trimester.