title: [Stem Cells for Retina Replacement].
abstract: In ophthalmology, regenerative medicine is rapidly becoming a reality. Cell based treatment strategies in end stage retinal degeneration may be of therapeutic value, whatever the mechanism of disease mechanism. However, while corneal transplantation is commonly performed with excellent results, many obstacles must be overcome before retinal transplants can become clinically useful. The major problems are the production of appropriate transplants and functional integration in situ. New technologies allow the production of autologous transplants by inducing pluripotency in adult somatic cells. Driven by this development, exciting new research has been conducted on the development of artificial retinal tissue for basic research and transplantation. This article reviews this progress and discusses its clinical utility.
authors.affiliation: Universitäts-Augenklinik, Department für Augenheilkunde, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen.
authors.forename: I P
authors.initials: IP
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neuroanatomie, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Achberger
authors.affiliation: Institut für Neuroanatomie, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Liebau
authors.affiliation: Universitäts-Augenklinik, Department für Augenheilkunde, Universitätsklinikum Tübingen.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Fischer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D012160:Retina / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery*; D012162:Retinal Degeneration / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D016896:Treatment Outcome