title: Retinal stem cells and potential cell transplantation treatments.
abstract: The retina, histologically composed of ten delicate layers, is responsible for light perception and relaying electrochemical signals to the secondary neurons and visual cortex. Retinal disease is one of the leading clinical causes of severe vision loss, including age-related macular degeneration, Stargardt's disease, and retinitis pigmentosa. As a result of the discovery of various somatic stem cells, advances in exploring the identities of embryonic stem cells, and the development of induced pluripotent stem cells, cell transplantation treatment for retinal diseases is currently attracting much attention. The sources of stem cells for retinal regeneration include endogenous retinal stem cells (e.g., neuronal stem cells, Müller cells, and retinal stem cells from the ciliary marginal zone) and exogenous stem cells (e.g., bone mesenchymal stem cells, adipose-derived stem cells, embryonic stem cells, and induced pluripotent stem cells). The success of cell transplantation treatment depends mainly on the cell source, the timing of cell harvesting, the protocol of cell induction/transplantation, and the microenvironment of the recipient's retina. This review summarizes the different sources of stem cells for regeneration treatment in retinal diseases and surveys the more recent achievements in animal studies and clinical trials. Future directions and challenges in stem cell transplantation are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Tai-Chi
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chih-Chien
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Institute of Pharmacology, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Ke-Hung
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Chien
authors.affiliation: Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Ophthalmology, National Yang-Ming University Hospital, Yilan, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Kuo-Hsuan
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; Department of Ophthalmology, Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital & Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Chi-Hsien
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC; National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC. Electronic address: sjchen@vghtpe.gov.tw.
authors.forename: Shih-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology*; D012164:Retinal Diseases / Q000601:surgery; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation
keywords: ciliary marginal zones; embryonic stem cells; induced pluripotent stem cells; retinal diseases; stem cells