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ABSTRACT
Introduction
Retinal disorders, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, and Stargardt disease, significantly impact vision and quality of life, necessitating innovative therapeutic solutions. Current interventions are often restrictive, focusing primarily on symptom management and slowing disease progression. Stem cell-based therapies have emerged as a promising approach to retinal diseases, offering the potential for not only disease halting and vision restoration, but also structural healing.
Areas Covered
This narrative review delineates various stem cell categories under investigation, evidence from preclinical and clinical trials regarding their efficacy and safety, and challenges in implementing stem cell therapies, including technical, ethical, and regulatory aspects.
Expert Opinion
The promise of stem cell therapy could revolutionize the treatment of retinal diseases, offering the potential to restore vision where only management strategies exist currently. Technical and ethical hurdles exist, but ongoing research and technological advancements hold the promise of overcoming these challenges. Stem cell therapy, despite its infancy, could become a vital component in the treatment of retinal diseases within the next decade. Nevertheless, the utmost caution must be exercised to ensure patient safety and therapy efficacy before wide-scale adoption.
Article highlights
Retinal degenerative disorders such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, retinitis pigmentosa, and Stargardt disease inflict severe vision impairment and blindness, with stem cell-based therapies emerging as a potential innovative solution.
Stem cells, including embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and adult stem cell populations, have been investigated for their capacity to halt disease progression, restore visual function, and regenerate retinal structure in these diseases.
Stem cells can potentially replace damaged retinal cells, such as photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium cells, and also contribute to inflammation modulation, neuroprotection, and enhanced vascularization in the retina.
Current challenges in implementing stem cell therapies for retinal degeneration include technical issues in stem cell extraction, differentiation, and transplantation, safety and efficacy concerns, risk of tumor formation, inadequate integration of transplanted cells into the host retina, immunorejection, and ethical considerations.
Despite these hurdles, the potential of stem cell therapy to transform the treatment landscape for retinal degeneration is immense, with expectations that continued research and technological advancements will lead to the development of safe and effective stem cell therapies within the next decade.
Declaration of interests
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
Reviewer disclosures
A reviewer on this manuscript has disclosed that they have IP and equity stake related to a type of cell therapy that is discussed in this review. Because of this, they have been attentive to letting the authors express their own opinions and restricted my comments to the factual accuracy of specific statements made. A different reviewer on this manuscript has disclosed that they have IP related to the topic, and have a financial interest in a topic-related company where they serve on the Board. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no other relevant financial relationships or otherwise to disclose.