title: Does the adult human ciliary body epithelium contain "true" retinal stem cells?
abstract: Recent reports of retinal stem cells being present in several locations of the adult eye have sparked great hopes that they may be used to treat the millions of people worldwide who suffer from blindness as a result of retinal disease or injury. A population of proliferative cells derived from the ciliary body epithelium (CE) has been considered one of the prime stem cell candidates, and as such they have received much attention in recent years. However, the true nature of these cells in the adult human eye has still not been fully elucidated, and the stem cell claim has become increasingly controversial in light of new and conflicting reports. In this paper, we will try to answer the question of whether the available evidence is strong enough for the research community to conclude that the adult human CE indeed harbors stem cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Oslo University Hospital, Pb 4950 Nydalen, 0407 Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Frøen
authors.forename: Erik O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Johnsen
authors.forename: Bjørn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nicolaissen
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Facskó
authors.forename: Goran
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Petrovski
authors.forename: Morten C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Moe
mesh_terms: D002924:Ciliary Body / Q000166:cytology*; D004848:Epithelium; D005123:Eye / Q000166:cytology*; D006801:Humans; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology / Q000637:transplantation; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*