Age-related macular degeneration, a medical condition of the eye resulting from damage to the retina, is the leading cause of visual acuity loss among elderly populations in America and Europe, and is increasingly prevalent in Japan. Despite signs that the transplant of pigment epithelial cells may be effective in treating this condition, difficulties in preparing cell sources and problems of immune rejection have prevented further advances in this field.
A new form of treatment for this condition may now be on the horizon, however, with the conclusion of an agreement on July 23 between RIKEN and Japan Tissue Engineering Co. Ltd (J-TEC). Groundbreaking new research, to be conducted by J-TEC together with the Laboratory for Retinal Regeneration at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology (CDB), will focus on the application of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells to the manufacture of retinal pigment epithelial cells.
In circumventing problems of immune rejection associated with retinal pigment epithelial cell transplantation, the iPS cell approach offers renewed hope that a safe and effective treatment for visual conditions such as age-related macular degeneration will be found. Paired with J-TEC’s pioneering tissueengineering technology, research on the manufacture of iPS cell-derived retinal cells at the Laboratory for Retina Regeneration promises to chart a course toward the world’s first regenerative treatment for retinal diseases.
As a first step toward the new joint research initiative, a protocol is to be developed within the next three to five years setting out a framework for clinical application of retinal pigment epithelium cells derived from human iPS cells. Once this protocol is decided, clinical studies will begin at the medical institution next to the RIKEN CDB.
