Foundation News » Macular Degeneration
First Human Treated with Embryonic Stem Cells in Clinical Trial
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A person partially paralyzed from a spinal cord injury has become the first recipient of a human embryonic stem cell treatment being evaluated in an FDA-regulated clinical trial. This clinical study of embryonic stem cells ushers in a new era of hope for people affected by a wide range diseases and conditions including retinal degenerative diseases. Embryonic stem cells show great potential for replacing cells and tissue lost to injury or disease. Details of the clinical embryonic stem cell trial are reported in an October 11, 2010 article published in The Washington Post. The article also reports on Advanced Cell Technology’s (ACT) pursuit of FDA approval to launch a clinical trial of an embryonic stem cell treatment for people with Stargardt disease, an early onset from of macular degeneration that affects 30,000 people in the U.S. ACT’s forthcoming clinical study was made possible by years of laboratory research funded by the Foundation Fighting Blindness. |
