Cell transplant could give Sight to Millions

British scientists have taken a major leap forward as what may seem like a good effort to treat blindness. This was reported by the Daily Mail UK.

The scientists have grown part of an eye in the laboratory and raided it for the light-sensitive cells which are the key to our vision. The cells were then injected into mice where they grew normally and had formed into a connection between the eye and the brain. The scientists are hoping that the first human patients be treated in as little as five years, thus paving the way for a treatment which could give them their sights back.

Robin Ali who is the research professor said that transplanting small number of cells could also have a big impact on the quality of life. People who could benefit from this include men and women with age related muscular degeneration which is the most common cause of blindness in the elderly.

For the research scientists took embryonic stem cells or ‘master cells’ that are capable of turning into other cell types and are also believed to be a repair kit for the body. They used it as a cocktail of nutrients to coax them into turning into a retina. Later they raided the lab grown retina for rods which are the key cells that pick up light and send it to the brain for conversion into images.

Read more articles on Health News