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Stem cells help with macular degeneration

Posted on Mar 29th 2007 5:01PM by Brian White

Filed Under: Reviews & Products, Alternative & Green Health

The usage of human stem cells continues to have its proponents and opponents these days. But in a recent study performed on rats (of course), special cells grown fro stem cells have been shown to protect eyesight from the problems of macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness for people older than 50.

The stem cells were derived from human fetal stem cells (called "neural progenitor cells"). These cells protected the eyesight of rats eye diseases similar to human diseases. Conclusion here -- human stem cells showed that they can actually protect failing eye cells.

Are stem cells ready to be used in the treatment of various human physical ailments? So far, that question is being answered by a resounding yes.

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5 Comment

Tags: macular degeneration, MacularDegeneration, stem cells, StemCells

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

l,elmaleh m.d. 10-18-2010 @ 11:41AM

my very good friend suffers from macular degeneration and is blind .where can hE go for stem cell treatment?

Greta Lint 4-22-2007 @ 10:29PM

Baby boomers don't want to age. We don't want to go blind, either. I hope that some of them will step forth and really push research to find a cure for this horrible disease. My dad has it - and now it's appeared in one of my eyes.

Simon 5-17-2007 @ 2:05AM

I'm 22 and have myopic macular degeneration, this is caused from extreme shortsightedness, not age, however it results in the same outcome as the age related type.

Because i'm so young, I truely believe I have a great chance of benefiting from stem cell research... i wish more people would support it.

Vision is one of many diseases that could be cured from stem cells, the only people that seem to be opposed to the research are people who don't suffer from a condition that could be cured as a result of it.

All the best, thanks for reading,

Simon James
simon14@gmail.com

New Zealand

Piper 6-07-2007 @ 3:21PM

I think that it is awesome that there have been such great steps towards help for macular degeneration. It is an awful feeling to be losing one's eyesight and if this can help it will be wonderful for soooo many people.

Trisha73 6-07-2007 @ 6:27PM

I agree, stem cell research can get rid of a whole lot of these horrible diseases, or, at least, slow the progression. Being Catholic, I can't, in good conscience, say, it's alright to use the cells that have been cohesed, into an unborn. I have read, where the cells that haven't been conjoined, (?) will work just as well. Before my mother died, she had macular degeneration, badly. She warned me, I could inherit it. Why doesn't the government let the cells that haven't been implanted with a sperm, be used. Is it the F.D.A., like I've heard, or the pharmaceuticals who don't want a cure for this horrible diseases, to keep the prices of their meds, sky high, and to keep grabbing money from the people, to continue testing. Testing for what, we all know, what the cells will do. give these people a chance, Michael J. Fox, Montel Williams, my daughter, who was stricken with M.S., and people like me, with heart disease. I lost my husband, almost 15 years ago, from C.A.D., and uncontrollable diabetes. Some of you, ought to be made to stand by their bedside, and watch them struggle, for every breath, until merciful death, comes, and lets them out of their misery, and discomfort. Congress, a pox on you all, for not helping all these people, at least have some comfort. You all make me sick. If it were a member of your family, there certainly would be movement, afoot, on Capital Hill.