According to the report of Royesh Stem Cell Biotechnology, the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a layer of pigment cells in the retina of the eye that is essential for maintaining normal vision. Blindness caused by RPE dysfunction, such as macular degeneration, affects the vision of an estimated 200 million people worldwide. Researchers from the Institute for Molecular Cell Biology, Singapore, in collaboration with the Icahn School of Medicine in New York and the Sulzbach Eye Clinic in Germany, extracted retinal stem cells from adult cadavers, which are an unlimited source of stem cells, transformed them into retinal pigment epithelium cells and transplanted them into the eyes of monkeys. The results showed that the retinal pigment epithelium cells remained in the transplanted monkey eyes for at least three months without any serious side effects and did not cause scarring in the retina. These cells also partially took over the function of the monkey retinal pigment epithelium and were able to support normal photoreceptor function.
The results of this research demonstrate the feasibility of using retinal pigment epithelium cells derived from adult retinal stem cells to replace the defective retina as a potential treatment for macular degeneration. The study was published in the journal Stem Cell Reports on January 14, 2021.
