Eagerly waitting the time when this experiment is successful. Also the time when it the surgery is being done in India.
Renuka. ----- Original Message ----- From: "shahnaz" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 2:14 PM Subject: [AI] Zebrafish Study May Point Way To Blindness cure > The ability of zebrafish to regenerate damaged retinas > has given > scientists a clue about restoring human vision and > could lead to an > experimental treatment for blindness within five > years. > > British researchers said on Wednesday they had > successfully grown in > the laboratory a type of adult stem cell found in the > eyes of both > fish and mammals that develops into neurons in the > retina. > > In future, these cells could be injected into the eye > as a treatment > for diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma > and > diabetes-related blindness, according to Astrid Limb > of University > College London's (UCL) Institute of Ophthalmology. > > Damage to the retina -- the part of the eye that sends > messages to the > brain -- is responsible for most cases of sight loss. > > "Our findings have enormous potential," Limb said. "It > could help in > all diseases where the neurons are damaged, which is > basically nearly > every disease of the eye." > > Limb and her colleagues studied so-called Mueller > glial cells in the > eyes of people aged from 18 months to 91 years and > found they were > able to develop them into all types of neurons found > in the retina. > > They were also able to grow them easily in the lab, > they reported in > the journal Stem Cells. > > The cells have already been tested in rats with > diseased retinas, > where they successfully migrated into the retina and > took on the > characteristics of the surrounding neurons. Now the > team is working on > the same approach in humans. > > "We very much hope that we could do autologous > transplants within five > years," Limb told Reuters. > > Autologous transplants, initially on a trial basis, > will involve > manipulating cells and injecting them back into an > individual's own > eye. Eventually, Limb hopes it will also be possible > to transfer the > cells between different people. > > "Because they are so easy to grow, we could make stem > cell banks and > have cell lines available to the general population, > subject to typing > as with blood transfusions," she said. > > Just why zebrafish have an abundant supply of adult > stem cells to > regenerate their retinas, while they are rare in > mammals, remains a > mystery but Limb suspects it is because mammals have a > limiting system > to stop proliferation. > > The new work on Mueller glial cells is the latest > example of > researchers exploring the potential of different kinds > of stem cells > in treating eye disease. Another team from UCL and > Moorfield's Eye > Hospital said in June they aimed to repair damaged > retinas with cells > derived from embryonic stem cells. > > http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070801/hl_nm/blindness_fish_dc&printer=1 > ;_ylt=At6io4gPli3xe1vinrH_HNQR.3QA > > > > Once upon a time there was 1 GB storage in your inbox. To know the > happy ending go to > http://help.yahoo.com/l/in/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/tools/tools-08.html > > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
