Thursday, December 18, 2014
Research to Prevent Blindness Funds Stem Cell Research
Corneal injuries and damage lead to cloudiness that makes it hard to see, senior investigator James Funderburgh said. Implanting the patient's own stem cells, extracted from the patient's healthy eye, initiated regeneration of healthy corneal tissue, leaving a clear, smooth surface.
"Even at the microscopic level, we couldn't tell the difference between the tissues that were treated with stem cells and undamaged cornea," Funderburgh said in a prepared statement. "We were also excited to see that the stem cells appeared to induce healing beyond the immediate vicinity of where they were placed...."