Published on Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Treasures in Our Eyes

Treasures in Our Eyes

Researchers have identified adult stem cells of the central nervous system at the back of the eye. This could make it easier to access cells needed for transplants in patients and could provide the key to certain eye diseases.

The stem cells were found in the layer of cells known as the retinal pigment epithelium. They are able to self-renew and can therefore wake up, produce active cultures and form other cell types. “These cells are laid down in the embryo and can remain dormant for 100 years,” says Sally Temple, a researcher at the Neural Stem Cell Institute, in New York State. “Yet you can pull them out and put them in culture and they begin dividing. It is kind of mind boggling.”

The cells discovered during the study came from the eyes of donors in the hours immediately after their deaths. But the researchers specify that the cells can also be isolated from the fluid that surrounds the retina at the back of the eye. They are therefore accessible in living people as well. Whereas harvesting neural stem cells generally requires major surgery, these cells can be taken from the eye with a needle.


Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105131637.htm

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