VISION RESTORATION IN DEGENERATIVE RETINAL DISEASES USING STEM CELLS
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Abstract
Degenerative retinal diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma, are significant causes of irreversible visual loss worldwide. Current treatments are mostly palliative, treating the secondary obstacle rather than reversing degenerated retinal cells. Stem-cell–based interventions are shifting the treatment landscape for retinal degeneration by targeting multiple biological pathways—replacing lost cells, protecting surviving neurons, regulating immune activity, and supporting new vessel growth. This review brings together current laboratory and clinical findings on four major cell sources: embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, mesenchymal stromal cells, and retinal progenitor cells. Early trials, especially in age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, report good safety outcomes and small but measurable gains in visual function, with transplanted cells surviving in the host retina. However, the major translational hurdles are regulation of the immune response, heterogeneity of long-term integration, surgical complexity, and manufacturing scalability. Advances in engineered delivery systems, immune-evasive pluripotent cells, and biomarker-based patient selection are driving the field toward sustainable therapy. Together, stem cell therapy holds great promise in addressing the unmet needs of degenerative retinal diseases; however, well-designed multicenter trials with well-defined endpoints are essential for determining efficacy and ensuring safe and regulated use in clinical practice.
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