| Autor: |
Mazzilli JL; The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas., Snook JD; Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas., Simmons K; The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas., Domozhirov AY; The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas., Garcia CA; Ruiz Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Science, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas., Wetsel RA; The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas., Zsigmond EM; The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, Texas., Westenskow PD; Department of Ophthalmology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas. |
| Abstrakt: |
Purpose: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common disease trending towards epidemic proportions and is a leading cause of irreversible vision loss in people over the age of 65. A pathomechanism of AMD is death and/or dysfunction of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells; RPE loss invariably results in photoreceptor atrophy. Treatment options for AMD are very limited, and include vitamin supplements and lifestyle changes. An exciting potential therapy currently being tested in clinical trials is transplantation of stem cell-derived RPE. Methods: We developed a NIH-registered embryonic stem line (CR-4), and in this study set out to determine if CR4-RPE are tolerated in normal mice and in murine models of retinal degeneration by injecting a bolus of CR4-RPE cells in the subretinal space of immunosuppressed wild-type, Mer mutant (Merkd), and Elovl4 deficient mice. Results: Mice with CR-RPE grafts were monitored daily, were examined routinely using OCT, and histology was prepared and examined at terminal end-points. Based on the parameters of the study, none of the animals with CR-RPE grafts (n=36) experienced any obvious adverse reactions. Conclusions: We conclude that transplanted CR-4 hES-derived RPE cells are well tolerated in immunosuppressed healthy and dystrophic murine retinas. |
