Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Stem Cells Restore Sight For Corneal Disease Patients

Posted by timothy on from the soon-it'll-be-saline-&-stem-cell-solution dept.

Sean0michael writes "Australian scientists have restored the sight of three human test subjects using stem cells cultured in contact lenses. All the patients were blind in only one eye. Two were legally blind, but can now read the big letters on an eye chart. The third could read the first few lines, but is now able to pass a driver's test. The University of New South Wales reports that these patients all had damaged corneas, and the stem cells came from each person's good eye. The best part: the procedure is inexpensive, raising hopes for being able to push this to the third world sooner than other, more expensive medications."

6 of 223 comments (clear)

  1. !embroyonic by bensafrickingenius · · Score: 5, Informative

    Again.

    --
    I am not left-handed, either!
    1. Re:!embroyonic by interkin3tic · · Score: 5, Informative

      Embryonic stem cells don't come from aborted fetuses. They come from in vitro fertilization. ESC are harvested 5 days after fertilization, abortions aren't performed 5 days after fertilization because you wouldn't know.

    2. Re:!embroyonic by harryandthehenderson · · Score: 4, Informative

      In fact, I am not sure that there has been even one single break through that wasn't from adult stem cells.

      That's due to your own ignorance not any actual facts. I found one example just in 2 seconds of googling. This FDA approved study was based on a previous trial that was able to successfully restore locomotion to those with spinal cord injuries. It is not even the only example just the first one that I found.

    3. Re:!embroyonic by harryandthehenderson · · Score: 4, Informative

      Aborted fetuses aren't used as a source of stem cells since all the cells would be dead. The embryonic stem cells are harvested from leftover frozen embryos from people doing invitro-fertilization that would normally just be thrown out.

    4. Re:!embroyonic by Bryansix · · Score: 4, Informative

      I don't know if you forgot but there ARE other countries in the world besides the United States of America. Your explanation makes no sense.

  2. Re:Types of stem cells by harryandthehenderson · · Score: 4, Informative

    The article doesn't go into very much detail on what the stem cells really were or how the were produced,

    They weren't produced. They were somatic stem cells that were in the patients good eyes.

    so I assume what they refer to as "stem cells" are really multipotent stem cells (or so-called progenitor cells [wikipedia.org])

    No, you would be wrong. As the summary and the article state these are adult stem cells or somatic stem cells as they are also called.