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Since they were first isolated 16 years ago, human embryonic stem cells have been thought to have the potential to replace the body’s worn-out tissues and treat a wide variety of diseases.
The progress has been slow. But now researchers are reporting an encouraging step.
A therapy for eye diseases that was derived from stem cells appeared to be safe and might have improved the vision of some patients, according to a new study.
The results, published on Tuesday evening by the journal The Lancet, represent the most extensive human data yet on any treatment derived from such embryonic stem cells. The 18 patients in the study were followed for a median of 22 months, two of them for more than three years.
“This is a promising study, and it provides a lot of hope for regenerative medicine,” said Dr. Steven D. Schwartz, a retina specialist at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the lead author of the paper. “However, there’s a lot of work to be done.”
Human embryonic stem cells have been the focus of pitched ethical...