oh this is great and promising news! thank you for sharing this.At 12:45 PM
4/22/2009, you wrote:


><http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article6122757.ece>http://www.\
timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article6122757.ece
>
>
> From The Sunday Times
>April 19, 2009
>
>Blind to be cured with stem cells
>Sarah-Kate Templeton, Health Editor
>
>BRITISH scientists have developed the world’s first stem cell therapy to cure
the most common cause of blindness. Surgeons predict it will become a routine,
one-hour procedure that will be generally available in six or seven years’
time.
>
>The treatment involves replacing a layer of degenerated cells with new ones
created from embryonic stem cells. It was pioneered by scientists and surgeons
from the Institute of Ophthalmology at University College London and Moorfields
eye hospital.
>
>This week Pfizer, the world’s largest pharmaceutical research company, will
announce its financial backing to bring the therapy to patients.
>
>The treatment will tackle age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most
common cause of blindness. It affects more than 500,000 Britons and the number
is forecast to increase significantly as people live longer. The disease
involves the loss of eye cells.
>
>Under the new treatment, embryonic stem cells are transformed into replicas of
the missing cells. They are then placed on an artificial membrane which is
inserted in the back of the retina.
>
>Tom Bremridge, chief executive of the Macular Disease Society, said: “This is
a huge step forward for patients. We are extremely pleased that the big guns
have become involved, because, once this treatment is validated, it will be made
available to a huge volume of patients.”
>
>Embryonic stem cells have the ability to develop into all types of body tissue.
Their use is controversial, however, because it involves the destruction ofhuman
embryos.
>
>Laboratory trials completed by the British team have demonstrated that stem
cells can prevent blindness in rats with a similar disease to AMD. They have
also successfully tested elements of the technology in pigs.
>
>The team is led by Professor Pete Coffey, director of the London Project to
Cure Blindness, working alongside Lyndon da Cruz, a surgeon at Moorfields.
>
>Coffey said the treatment would take “less than an hour, so it really could
be considered as an outpatient procedure. We are trying to get it out as a
common therapy”.
>
>He welcomed Pfizer’s agreement to manufacture the membranes, saying: “This
is a major development because of the size of the partner. We need a big
pharmaceutical company to scale it up.
>
>“We have nearly 14m people within Europe with AMD. This will ensure that the
therapy gets through to clinical trials in a safe and effective manner.”
>
>Professor Peng Khaw, director of the Biomedical Research Centre at Moorfields
and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, added: “This shows that stem cell
therapy is coming of age. It offers great hope for many sufferers around the
world who cannot be treated with conventional treatment.” He added: “All my
patients say to me is, ‘When will this stem cell treatment be ready? I want it
now’.”
>
>Pfizer’s role would be crucial in bringing production of the membranes to an
industrial level.
>
>The team is applying for regulatory approval for trials from the Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Human Tissue Authority and thegene
therapy advisory committee.
>
>The clinical trial, due within two years, is expected to be the second in the
world to use embryonic stem cells on humans. The first, on patients with spinal
cord injuries, will start this year in America.
>
>________________________________
>From: Lisa Williams <<mailto:lntpublic%40gmail.com>lntpublic@...>
>To:
<mailto:retinitispigmentosa%40yahoogroups.com>retinitispigmentosa@...\
m
>Sent: Wednesday, April 22, 2009 6:59:52 PM
>Subject: [RetinitisPigmentosa] Eye Patch
>
>Hi,
>
>My mom has Macular Degeneration. It was progressing in one eye and many years
ago a doctor did laser surgery and ended up taking away the central vision in
that eye. Her other eye is OK.
>
>She has increasing difficulty driving or being a passenger. She feels her eyes
give her faulty information and she has to continually remind herself that she's
not about to crash. It's very scary for her, even as a passenger.
>
>I suggested that she wear an eye patch over that eye and see if that helps.
Have any of you dealt with this type of thing and had any success? I would love
her to be able to get out more often on trips - visit the grandkids etc.
>
>Thanks!
>
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>
>