Unfortunately, at present, degenerative retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa remains untreatable. Patients with these conditions suffer progressive visual decline resulting from continuing loss of photoreceptor cells and outer nuclear layers. However, stem cell therapy is a promising approach to restore visual function in eyes with degenerative retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa. Animal studies have established that pluripotent stem cells when placed in the mouse retinitis pigmentosa models have the potential not only to survive, but also to differentiate, organize into and function as photoreceptor cells. Furthermore, there is early evidence that these transplanted cells provide improved visual function. These groundbreaking studies provide proof of concept that stem cell therapy is a viable method of visual rehabilitation among eyes with retinitis pigmentosa. Further studies are required to optimize these techniques in human application. This review focuses on stem cell therapy as a new approach for vision restitution in retinitis pigmentosa.
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Transl Vis Sci Technol
January 2025
STZ eyetrial at the Centre for Ophthalmology, Tuebingen, Germany.
Purpose: Reports of gene therapy-associated retinal atrophies and inflammation have highlighted the importance of preclinical safety assessments of adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector systems. We evaluated in nonhuman primates (NHPs) the ocular safety and toxicology of a novel AAV gene therapy targeting retinitis pigmentosa caused by mutations in PDE6A, which has since been used in a phase I/II clinical trial (NCT04611503).
Methods: A total of 34 healthy cynomolgus animals (Macaca fascicularis) were treated with subretinal injections of rAAV.
Cell Insight
February 2025
Eye Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan 430060, Hubei, China.
Retinal degenerative diseases encompass a diverse range of eye conditions that result in blindness, many due to photoreceptor dysfunction and loss. Regrettably, current clinical treatments are frequently not overly effective. However, photoreceptor transplantation shows promise as a potential therapy for late-stage retinal degenerative diseases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neuroinflammation
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA.
Background: The retinal degenerative diseases retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and atrophic age- related macular degeneration (AMD) are characterized by vision loss from photoreceptor (PR) degeneration. Unfortunately, current treatments for these diseases are limited at best. Genetic and other preclinical evidence suggest a relationship between retinal degeneration and inflammation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCell Death Discov
January 2025
Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Rhodopsin is the light-activated G protein-coupled receptor that initiates vision in photoreceptor cells of the retina. Numerous mutations in rhodopsin promote receptor misfolding and aggregation, causing autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa, a progressive retinal degenerative disease. The mechanism by which these mutations cause photoreceptor cell death, and the role aggregation plays in this process is still unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Case Rep
January 2025
Ophthalmology, Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, India.
Coats-like response refers to a condition where abnormal telangiectatic retinal vessels and aneurysms associated with subretinal exudation are seen in the setting of other ocular or systemic diseases. So far, it has been described with various ocular disorders like retinitis pigmentosa, chronic ischemic branch retinal vein obstruction and pars planitis. A man in his 30s presented with a 1-month history of diminution of vision in the left eye.
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