Preservation of vision following cell-based therapies in a model of retinal degenerative disease.
This study examines whether subretinal transplantation of a human retinal pigment epithelial cell line (ARPE19) or human Schwann cells early in the course of degeneration can limit the loss of visual acuity that normally occurs in dystrophic Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats as they age. The acuity of both transplanted groups was significantly better than controls at all ages tested, though the rescue profile of each cell type was unique. These data indicate that the transplantation of cells with very different phenotypes can be used to limit the deterioration of spatial vision in an animal model of retinal degenerative disease.
McGill
T J
TJ
Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, 4401 University Drive West, Lethbridge, AB, Canada T1K 3M4. mcgitj@uleth.ca
Lund
R D
RD
Douglas
R M
RM
Wang
S
S
Lu
B
B
Prusky
G T
GT
D000818:Animals; D002460:Cell Line; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D010857:Pigment Epithelium of Eye / Q000637:transplantation*; D051381:Rats; D011922:Rats, Mutant Strains; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D012583:Schwann Cells / Q000637:transplantation*; D014792:Visual Acuity