干细胞移植治疗视网膜变性疾病面临的挑战和前景

Translation of stem-cell-based therapies for retinal degeneration

视网膜变性类疾病主要包括视网膜色素变性（retinitis pig-mentosa,RP）、老年性黄斑变性（age related macular degenera-tion,AMD）。在东亚国家,还有一种发病率较高的特殊类型,即高度近视引起的视网膜变性。这类疾病的共同特点在于视网膜中的关键细胞（如感光细胞和视网膜色素上皮细胞）变性、

Present therapies for retinal degenerative diseases are limited in their efficacy.Consequently,the development of novel neuroprotective and neuroregenerative treatments is a top priority.Stem cells hold great promise for regenerative medicine,and recently many efforts have been devoted to find suitable candidates for retinal transplants.A variety of stem-cell-based approaches are being advanced to replace impaired retinal cells and / or to slow the disease processes by providing neuroprotective factors,with the ultimate aim of longterm improvement in visual function.Furthermore,clinical trials are in the early stages,and data on safety and efficacy are widely anticipated.We discussed here the challenges and potential of stem-cell-based therapies in treatment of retinal blindness.