Stem cells may be useful in ocular ailments

SYDNEY, Australia — Blood-forming stem cells may help repair wounds in the eye and may be beneficial treatments for two common ocular conditions, researchers at the university here said.

Tailoi Chan-Ling and colleagues tested whether stem cells could be used to treat inherited retinal dystrophy as well as age-related macular degeneration, a University of Sydney press release said.

The group’s findings “suggest that hematopoietic stem cells, also known as ‘blood-forming stem cells,’ could help to treat degenerative diseases of the eye that can result in loss of sight,” the release said.

The bone-marrow derived stem cells can give rise to retinal pigment epithelial cells and astrocytes. The university suggested that Prof. Chan-Ling’s study of hematopoietic stem cells “could potentially serve as a therapeutic source for wound repair in the eye.”

The study is published in The American Journal of Pathology.