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Retinal cells derived from a cadaver human eye survived when transplanted into the eyes of primate models, an important advance in the development of cell therapy to treat blindness, according to a study published on January 14 in
Stem Cell Reports.
The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), a layer of pigmented cells in the retina, functions as a barrier and regulator in the eye to maintain normal vision. RPE dysfunction can lead to eye disorders including macular degeneration and can cause blindness, which affects about 200 million people worldwide.
To restore this population of cells, the researchers extracted retinal stem cells from donated cadaver adult eyes, which can enable donor compatibility matching and can serve as a recurring source of human RPE. The team then assessed the safety and feasibility of implanting adult retinal stem cells into non-human primates.