HYDERABAD: In a major breakthrough, two eye specialists from the LV Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad have succeeded in growing corneas in a petri dish using adult stem cells extracted from the oral mucosa of patients. Dr Virendar Sangwan and his colleague Dr Geeta Vemuganti carried out the procedure on two patients last week. The pathbreaking work promises to save lakhs on immuno suppressants that patients have to take for the rest of their lives after undergoing regenerative corneal transplant. It’s yet another milestone from Sangawan who has performed 500 surgeries over the past five years using stem cells harvested from corneal rims (or limbus) to grow corneas. One of the major causes of blindness worldwide is corneal disease and ocular surface damage. In many cases, the corneal rim or limbus gets damaged, leading to blindness. Treatment requires reviving the damaged area with stem cells from the good eye. These stem cells have to be first cultured in a special medium to generate corneal cells that can then be transplanted. In cases where the patient is completely blind, stem cells of relatives are harvested. But this procedure requires life-long use of immuno suppressants to avoid rejection, and costs range from Rs15,000 a month initially and anywhere between Rs5,000 and Rs10,000 a month later. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1130160 ------------------------------ Isn't this awesome? Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
