Ocular Stem Cell Research from Basic Science to Clinical Application: A Report from Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center Ocular Stem Cell Symposium

Hong Ouyang; Jeffrey L. Goldberg; Shuyi Chen; Wei Li; Guo-Tong Xu; Wei Li; Kang Zhang; Robert B. Nussenblatt; Yizhi Liu; Ting Xie; Chi-Chao Chan; Donald J. Zack

doi:10.3390/ijms17030415

International Journal of Molecular Sciences (Mar 2016)

Ocular Stem Cell Research from Basic Science to Clinical Application: A Report from Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center Ocular Stem Cell Symposium

Hong Ouyang,
Jeffrey L. Goldberg,
Shuyi Chen,
Wei Li,
Guo-Tong Xu,
Wei Li,
Kang Zhang,
Robert B. Nussenblatt,
Yizhi Liu,
Ting Xie,
Chi-Chao Chan,
Donald J. Zack

Affiliations

Hong Ouyang: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China
Jeffrey L. Goldberg: Department of Ophthalmology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94303, USA
Shuyi Chen: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China
Wei Li: Unit on Retinal Neurophysiology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Guo-Tong Xu: Department of Ophthalmology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Wei Li: Department of Ophthalmology, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, China
Kang Zhang: Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
Robert B. Nussenblatt: Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Yizhi Liu: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China
Ting Xie: Laboratory of Immunology, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
Chi-Chao Chan: State Key Laboratory of Ophthalmology, Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510060, China
Donald J. Zack: Wilmer Ophthalmological Institute, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17030415
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 17, no. 3
p. 415

Abstract

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Stem cells hold promise for treating a wide variety of diseases, including degenerative disorders of the eye. The eye is an ideal organ for stem cell therapy because of its relative immunological privilege, surgical accessibility, and its being a self-contained system. The eye also has many potential target diseases amenable to stem cell-based treatment, such as corneal limbal stem cell deficiency, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Among them, AMD and glaucoma are the two most common diseases, affecting over 200 million people worldwide. Recent results on the clinical trial of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in treating dry AMD and Stargardt’s disease in the US, Japan, England, and China have generated great excitement and hope. This marks the beginning of the ocular stem cell therapy era. The recent Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center Ocular Stem Cell Symposium discussed the potential applications of various stem cell types in stem cell-based therapies, drug discoveries and tissue engineering for treating ocular diseases.

Published in International Journal of Molecular Sciences

ISSN: 1661-6596 (Print); 1422-0067 (Online)
Publisher: MDPI AG
Country of publisher: Switzerland
LCC subjects: Science: Biology (General); Science: Chemistry
Website: http://www.mdpi.com/journal/ijms

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