HUMAN embryonic stem cells will be tested as a treatment for blindness, a US company has revealed.
ggJust 12 adult patients will take part in the trial to see how the treatment using retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells affects patients with a common form of vision loss that takes hold in children as young as six.
The process was tested on rats and mice and was found to halt the progressive disease without causing tumors or other side effects, said chief scientific officer Bob Lanza at the biotech company Advanced Cell Technology (ACT).
“These cells have been really performing quite spectacularly in the animals. If we can see that in the human patients we will hit a home run here,” Mr Lanza said.
The trial, run and funded by the California-based company ACT, was allowed to go ahead after the US Food and Drug Administration cleared its application to start a phase I study.
Another company, Geron Corp, was given approval to test human embryonic stem cells in patients with spinal cord injuries in October.
Using retinal cells derived from human embryonic stem cells, the latest treatment involves injecting the stem cells into the eyes of patients with Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy, a disease which affects around 25,000 people in the US.
The 12 people in the initial study will have an advanced form of Stargardt’s disease and do not expect to have their vision restored, since the test’s main objective is to gauge safety.
If ACT’s trial shows that the treatment is safe, the process would be eventually be tested on younger patients to see if it can prevent blindness.
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