New breakthrough helps blind people see again

Scientists may have found a new cure for blindness, after successfully regrowing corneas in the lab.

Researchers have found a way to identify the molecule ABCB5, which acts as a "marker" for limbal stem cells, which are difficult to detect but determine the regeneration of corneal tissue in the eye. Photo: National News and Pictures

The authors of the study at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Research Institute (USA) believe that their work could help reverse a leading cause of blindness in humans. A major breakthrough in stem cell research has allowed them to successfully regenerate a cornea from adult stem cells for the first time.

Experts say their achievement offers hope to burn victims, victims of chemical injuries and people with eye diseases. They have found a way to stimulate the regrowth of human corneal tissue to restore vision, using a molecule called ABCB5, which acts as a marker for the hard-to-detect limbal stem cells.

According to the research report in the journal Nature, this is also one of the first recorded examples of creating a tissue from stem cells taken from an adult.

Limbal stem cells exist in the basal layer of the corneal limbal epithelium of the eye and can help maintain and regenerate corneal tissue. Their loss due to injury or disease is one of the leading causes of blindness in humans.

Previously, tissue or cell transplants have been used to restore the cornea. However, to date, it has been unclear whether true limbal cells exist in the transplanted tissue, and the results have been inconsistent.

In the new study, experts were able to use antibodies that recognize ABCB5 to "point" to the necessary stem cells in tissue from deceased donors and use them to re-grow anatomically "correct" and fully functional human corneas in mice.

"Limb stem cells are rare and successful transplantation depends on these rare cells. Our discovery now makes it easier to restore the corneal surface. This is a good example of basic research that can be quickly translated into action," explains study co-author Dr. Bruce Ksander.

According to Vietnam.net