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Stem cell therapies for retinal diseases: from bench to bedside

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Abstract

As the human retina has no regenerative ability, stem cell interventions represent potential therapies for various blinding retinal diseases. This type of therapy has been extensively studied in the human eyes through decades of preclinical studies. The safety profiles shown in clinical trials thus far have indicated that these strategies should be further explored. There are still challenges with regard to cell source, cell delivery, immuno-related adverse events and long-term maintenance of the therapeutic effects. Retinal stem cell therapy is likely to be most successful with a combination of multiple technologies, such as gene therapy. The purpose of this review is to present a synthetical and systematic coverage of stem cell therapies that target retinal diseases from bench to bedside, intending to appeal to both junior specialists and the broader community of clinical investigators alike. This review will only focus on therapies that have already been studied in clinical trials. This review summarizes key concepts, highlights the main studies in human patients and discusses the current challenges and potential methods to reduce safety concerns while enhancing the therapeutic effects.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to thank Professor James Bainbridge from University College London for the helpful discussions and suggestions.

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  1. Institute of Ophthalmology, University College London , 11-43 Bath St, London, EC1V 9EL, UK

    Yuening Shen

  2. Department of Medical Retina, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, 162 City Road, London, EC1V 2PD, UK

    Yuening Shen

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Shen, Y. Stem cell therapies for retinal diseases: from bench to bedside. J Mol Med 98, 1347–1368 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-020-01960-5

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