In
January, the Washington Post reported that stem cells were used in an
experimental treatment on two people to test the safety of stem cells injected
into the eye. However, the results showed something no one expected. Both
patients “had measurable improvement in their vision that continued throughout
the study.”
This is biotechnology because they
used stem cells as a tool to improve sight in two near-blind people. While this
was not the purpose of the experiment, the results were a huge learning
experience. Often times, the greatest discoveries and products happen by
accident.
“The cells were transplanted into
the eye, an organ in which the chance of immune rejection is low. The complex 10-layer
architecture of the retina was intact, so the cells were not asked to perform a
heroic act of reconstruction. The researchers were able to monitor progress in
real time by looking into the eyes,” said Rob Stein and David Brown of the
Washington Post.
This is a huge breakthrough in science and stem cell
research and only time will tell what other discoveries surface to benefit the
world of medicine.
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