Stem Cells May Be Used as Skin Grafts

For many years scientists were trying to figure out a way to re-grow body parts using our own stem cells. Many experiments showed successful results such as the one I talked about few months ago, when group of scientists used a patient’s own stem cell to restore eye sight.

A group of scientists in France led by Hind Guenou, PhD, concluded from their study that Human embryonic stem cells can be used to produce skin grafts for people who have been seriously burned.

The idea of using the patients own stem cell started to become more accepted among the medical professional because this would eliminate the rejection by the patient.

The current medical treatment for severely burned patients is getting skin from a deceased donor, but availability is limited, and the tissue often is rejected by the patient.

So the scientists in this study, employing a pharmacological treatment over 40 days, seeded feeder cells with human embryonic stem cells. The treatment drives the human embryonic stem cells toward forming an epidermis, the outer layer of skin the researchers report.

The team says it was able to generate a population of cells that showed the characteristics of the epidermis. Once manipulated on an artificial surface, the cells were able to form a layer of skin, the scientists say.

In 12 weeks, after grafting it onto five mice, the skin layer that came from human embryonic stem cells had a structure the “consistent” with human skin.

“We have shown that keratinocytes can be derived from [human embryonic stem cells],” the researchers write. “Growing human epidermis from [human embryonic stem cells] could have clinical relevance as an unlimited resource for temporary skin replacement in patients with large burns awaiting” grafts from their own newly grown cells.

Whether this technology can be used to extend the period needed to grow enough cells for a permanent graft is not known and future research is needed to see if it is, the researchers say.

Via – WebMD

Gene Therapy Makes People See Again

Many of the gene therapy research studies were halted few years back due to the death of Jesse Gelsinger. He was the first patient to die from Gene therapy two days after the beginning of the clinical trial. But many scientists believe that gene therapy is actually a promising way to cure many rare and chronic diseases.

The treatment using Gene therapy basically means that a “normal” gene is inserted into the genome to replace an “abnormal,” disease-causing gene. A carrier molecule called a vector must be used to deliver the therapeutic gene to the patient’s target cells. Currently, the most common vector is a virus that has been genetically altered to carry normal human DNA.

Scientist are continuing their studies to find ways to cure disease using gene therapy. The last successful clinical trial was conducted by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. They used gene therapy treatment on five children and seven adults with retinal disease called Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA). All of the patients showed great improvement in their sight.

One of the patients used to sit in the back of the classroom, relying on the large print on an electronic screen and assisted by teacher aides. But now, after a small injection that produce light-sensitive pigments in the back of his eye, he sits in front with classmates. Watch this miracle

“This study reports dramatic results in restoring vision to patients who previously had no options for treatment,” said Katherine A. High, M.D., co-first author of the study and the director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Therapeutics, the facility that sponsored the clinical trial at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. “These findings may expedite development of gene therapy for more common retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration.”

Researchers in England also successfully restored eyesight for six patients with genetic diseases.

Via – ScienceDaily

Small telescope in the eye improves vision

A new tiny small telescope implanted in patient’s eye to improve their vision dramatically. The new device was designed specifically for people who have sever damaged retinas or “macular degeneration“. The telescope magnifies images on the retina, extending them so they fall on healthy cells outside the damaged macula, said Allen W. Hill, chief executive of VisionCare Ophthalmic Technologies in Saratoga, Calif., the implant’s maker.

Magnifying images make patient unbalanced during walking or driving, so once the patients does the surgery he/she requires to practice before facing the new world.

Patients say “that’s fine we will practice, but we want to be able to see again”. This invention would allow people to see relatives that never recognized clearly before, or restore their physical activities such as hiking and biking etc..

According to the inventor, the tiny telescope doesn’t cure people from blindness, but it improves their vision in a way that makes them see better by eliminating blurry images. Not everyone is qualified for the outpatient procedure; maybe only 20 out of 100 candidates will be qualified for it. Also, the price range is not yet revealed, but we know that it will be available in the United States after the FDA approval by the end of this year 2009.

Via – NYT

8 Natural Ways To Improve Your Eyesight

Many people cannot afford LASIK surgery or contact lenses, so they try to find other ways that might help them improve their eyesight naturally. Many eye problems in later life are due to a loss of tone in the eye muscles. These muscles become rigid, and loses its elasticity, which make it hard on the eyes to focus at different distances.  These tips might not get your vision back the way it was before, but at least could improve, rest, and relax them naturally.

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