Stem Cells Used for MacD

"The first published results of trials using cells derived from human embryonic stem cells appear to show they have passed an initial safety hurdle," according to a Medical News Today post. "In The Lancet this week, researchers report that two nearly blind patients, one with Stargardt's macular dystrophy and the other with dry age-related macular degeneration (the leading cause of blindness in developed countries), showed measurable improvements in vision that lasted for more than four months after receiving injections of retinal pigment epithelium cells derived from human embryonic stem cells." Read more.

Here's what WebMD had to post: "In the study, the women received new RPE cells grown from human embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cells have been tested in humans only once before -- in paralyzed patients with injured spinal cords. Results of those studies, now canceled, were never officially reported." Read more.

Here's the story in the New York Times: "They come from the second clinical trial involving the stem cells, using a therapy developed by Advanced Cell Technology to treat macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness." Read more.