Surgery to transplant iPS "photoreceptor" to patients with severe eye disease World's first Kobe October 15, 23:07
This month, a research group in Kobe City performed the world's first surgery to transplant retinal cells made from iPS cells to a patient with a serious eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa, which gradually loses light. understood.
The surgery was performed by a research group led by Yasuo Kurimoto, director of Kobe Eye Center Hospital in Kobe City.
This surgery is a clinical study to confirm the safety of patients with severe eye disease "retinitis pigmentosa" by transplanting retinal cells called "photoreceptors" made from iPS cells. It is the first time in the world.
According to the group, the surgery was performed this month and transplanted "photoreceptors" made from other people's iPS cells into sheets with a diameter of 1 mm and a thickness of 0.2 mm.
"Retinitis pigmentosa" is a disease that gradually becomes insensitive to light and may cause blindness as it progresses. It is estimated that there are about 30,000 patients in Japan, but there is currently no effective treatment.
The group hopes to confirm the safety over the next year and establish it as a treatment method in the future.
The group will hold a press conference on the 16th to announce details of the surgery.