The following article is the published version of an article that first appeared on my blog in April 2014. It was accepted for publication by the UK-based journal, The Ophthalmologist.

(You may be asked to sign up to read the full version, but there is no charge, and once you are a subscriber, you will be able to access all of my articles published in that magazine.)

This article, published in the February 2015 issue of The Ophthalmologist, describes the use of stem cell-derived retinal progenitor cells (RPCs), that are being investigated for reviving/repairing/rejuvenating damaged photoreceptors to bring back sight to those who have lost it due to a retinal degenerative disease, including choroideremeia (CHM), retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Leber’s congenital amaurosis (LCA) and Stargardt’s disease (Stargardt Macular Dystrophy – SMD). It discusses the four companies that are conducting clinical research, as well as the work underway at several university and institutional laboratories.

To read the complete write up, please use this link ^[1].

Update: Since the article appeared, two of the companies discussed, jCyte and ReNeuron have started their clinical trials and begun treating their first patients.