Reply to "Stem Cells Give Hope..."

Thank you for this information Sue.
This is wonderful news and I hope that the research will continue.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a chronic condition that causes central vision loss. It affects millions of people. In fact, it is a leading cause of blindness in people 60 and older. The older you are, the greater your chance of being affected.

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http://www.theglobeandmail.com...mans/article1818396/


The Toronto group is hardly alone in its ambitions. Helping the blind to see has become one of the hottest areas of stem cell research. Across Canada, scientists have teamed up to regenerate human eye tissue with adult stem cells and those reprogrammed to behave like embryonic stem cells. Drug giant Pfizer Inc., in one of big pharma’s first forays into stem cells, is backing Britain’s Project to Cure Blindness. And this month, in a rare move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave a Massachusetts company permission for an embryonic stem cell trial to treat Stargardt macular dystrophy, a form of hereditary blindness.

“The progress of the last three years has been incredible,” says Sharon Colle, CEO of the Foundation Fighting Blindness, which helps fund Canada’s stem cell researchers, including Prof. van der Kooy’s team.