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                Cataract Surgery Helps Stem Cells Restore Vision

   by Kevin Enochs

   Congenital cataracts are estimated to be responsible for between 5 and
   20 percent of all cases of blindness in children worldwide.

   Now scientists and doctors have discovered a new technique that not
   only removes the cataracts, but also stimulates a child's own stem
   cells to regrow a functioning lens, restoring vision more completely
   than ever before.

   The results are reported in the online journal Nature.

   The research was done by the University of California, San Diego School
   of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute, with colleagues in China, and has
   been tested on animals and in a small human trial that showed
   impressive results.

   Congenital cataracts occur at birth or soon after, and cause the lens
   of the eye to become cloudy. This keeps light from passing through the
   eye to the retina, and beyond to the brain.

   Current treatment depends on the age of the patient and a host of other
   related complications. Surgery is often required, and almost all
   patients require corrective eyewear after cataract surgery.

   The researchers tried a less invasive approach. The goal, they said,
   was not only to get rid of the cloudy lens, but to coax the body to use
   leftover stem cells to heal itself.

   "An ultimate goal of stem cell research is to turn on the regenerative
   potential of one's own stem cells for tissue and organ repair and
   disease therapy," said Kang Zhang, founding director of the Institute
   for Genomic Medicine.

   Less invasive approach

   From birth, a person's eyes have a number of what scientists call lens
   epithelial stem cells or LECs. They live in the eye and generate
   replacement lens cells throughout a person's life, though production
   declines with age.

   Current cataract surgeries remove almost all of these LECs, so they
   regenerate lens cells in a 'disorganized' way that doesn't help heal or
   reconstruct the actual lens.

   So researchers combined a new surgical technique that is much less
   invasive and retains the shape of the lens, with a therapy that
   stimulates the LECs to grow.

   They tried the technique on animals, and then in a small human trial of
   twelve infants.

   Helping body heal itself

   The results were impressive: All 12 patients had fewer complications
   post-surgery. They healed faster, and after three months, the LECs had
   rebuilt a clear, regenerated biconvex lens in the eyes of every
   patient.

   "The success of this work represents a new approach in how new human
   tissue or organ can be regenerated and human disease can be treated,
   and may have a broad impact on regenerative therapies by harnessing the
   regenerative power of our own body," Zhang said.

   With this success under their belt, the researchers are shifting their
   focus to older patients with age-related cataracts, which are the
   leading cause of blindness in the world.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/post-cataract-surgery-stem-cells-rest
   ore-vision/3228037.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/post-cataract-surgery-stem-cells-restore-vision/3228037.html