• Question: could stem cells be used to make someone who's blind see again?

    Asked by phoebetomaz to Andrew, Emma, Michael, Nancy on 24 Jun 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Emma Reid

      Emma Reid answered on 24 Jun 2014:

      Hey Phoebe!
      I hope so! I use stem cells to repair damaged blood vessels but other scientists use different stem cells to repair/replace other types of cell found in the retina, like ganglion cells. Some researchers are looking at stem cells which become pericyte cells in the retina. Pericyte cells are very important in supporting blood vessels and they can die off in patients who have diabetic retinopathy, which can eventually lead to blindness. It may be the case that we need to treat patients with a mixture of different stem cells to repair the different parts of the retina and hopefully restore vision. Hope this helps to answer your question 🙂
      Emma

    • Photo: Michael Kelly

      Michael Kelly answered on 24 Jun 2014:

      I think stem cells could be used to repair tissues that once could see, like Emma’s work, but I think that its going to be a long time before someone who’s never has sight can be helped to see with stem cells.

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