UW Stem Cell Researchers Building a 'Retinal Patch' to …

Madison, Wisconsin A team led by a University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health stem-cell scientist and ophthalmologist is beginning work on a patch made of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to help restore vision to people whose retinas have been damaged by conditions such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration.

Dr. David Gamm, director of the McPherson Eye Research Institute and associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, and collaborators will begin developing the stem-cell therapy, thanks to a $900,000 grant from the Foundation Fighting Blindness.

Gamm, a pioneer in retinal stem-cell research, says that a two-layered patch of cells to replace damaged retinal tissue could be the best strategy for reconstructing the outer retina when multiple cell types have succumbed to disease. Gamms lab has succeeded in using stem-cell technology to turn skin and blood cells into retinal cells.

The continuing challenge has been to get the transplanted cells to survive the hostile conditions of the diseased retina, arrange themselves appropriately, and make the necessary connections to restore vision, says Gamm. I believe we have a plan that will make progress toward that goal.

Video: Learn more about how David Gamm is using stem cells to treat retinal diseases.

Gamms collaborators include Dr. James Thomson of the Morgridge Institute for Research, Dr. Derek Hei of the UW-Madison Waisman Center and Dr. Dennis Clegg of the University of California-Santa Barbara.

Read this article:
UW Stem Cell Researchers Building a 'Retinal Patch' to ...