Woman's first sight repaired by reprogrammed stem cells

A 40-year-old Japanese woman became the first person in the world to have her cornea repaired using reprogrammed stem cells. Ophthalmologist Kohji Nishida of the University of Osaka, Japan, said in an interview Aug. 29 that the woman has a disease that causes the stem cells that repair the cornea to be lost. This condition makes vision blurred and can even lead to blindness.

Nishida's team created corneal cell leaves from induced pluripotent stem cells. This process is possible by reprogramming a donor's adult skin cells to the embryonic state, and at this stage they can turn into other cell types, such as those in the cornea. The ophthalmologist said that since the transplant, done a month ago, the woman's cornea has remained clear and vision has improved.

The most common method today for treating people with damaged or diseased corneas is to use tissue from donors who have died. However, the waiting list for this fabric in Japan is too long.

Photo: Ralph C. Eagle Jnr / Science Photo Library

Discovered by Kyoto University stem cell biologist Shinya Yamanaka - who won the Nobel Prize with the discovery - iPS cells are approved for clinical use in Japan. They have also been used to treat spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease and other eye disease. .

Nishida received permission from the Japanese Ministry of Health to try the same procedure on four patients. The next surgery should happen later this year.