A group from Fujita Health University and others has performed the world's first surgery to restore vision by transplanting eye cells made from iPS cells into patients with diseases in which the cornea on the surface of the eye becomes cloudy and vision deteriorates.
Professor Shigeto Harumura of Fujita Health University and a group from Keio University are conducting clinical research aimed at restoring vision by transplanting eye cells made from other people's iPS cells into patients with eye disease called hydrochlorosis, in which the cornea becomes cloudy white due to the decrease in specific cells inside the cornea, resulting in a decrease in vision.
According to the group, in October last year, the world's first surgery was performed at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo, and a patient in his 10s was transplanted by injecting a solution containing about 1,70 cells inside the cornea.
Three months after surgery, there were no complications such as rejection or bleeding, and visual acuity was improving, so we will continue to confirm safety and efficacy.
Currently, corneal transplantation is the only fundamental treatment for chickenpo keratopathy, but according to the research group, about 80,3 people are waiting for a transplant, while only about 1,2000 people a year can receive a transplant.
Professor Harumura says, "I am relieved that transplantation has finally been realized 10 years after the start of research, and since there is a shortage of corneal donors in every country, I would like to aim for treatment that can save patients around the world."