title: Promises of stem cell therapy for retinal degenerative diseases.
abstract: With the development of stem cell technology, stem cell-based therapy for retinal degeneration has been proposed to restore the visual function. Many animal studies and some clinical trials have shown encouraging results of stem cell-based therapy in retinal degenerative diseases. While stem cell-based therapy is a promising strategy to replace damaged retinal cells and ultimately cure retinal degeneration, there are several important challenges which need to be overcome before stem cell technology can be applied widely in clinical settings. In this review, different types of donor cell origins used in retinal treatments, potential target cell types for therapy, methods of stem cell delivery to the eye, assessments of potential risks in stem cell therapy, as well as future developments of retinal stem cells therapy, will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Eye Institute, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, PRC.
authors.forename: Ian Yat-Hin
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Ming-Wai
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.forename: Rosita Tsz-Wai
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Pang
authors.forename: Qizhou
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wong
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000601:surgery*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000639:trends*; D016896:Treatment Outcome