Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Feb 10;4(2):88-99.
doi: 10.1016/j.gendis.2017.01.002. eCollection 2017 Jun.

Ocular progenitor cells and current applications in regenerative medicines - Review

K Gokuladhas  1 , N Sivapriya  1 , M Barath  1 , Charles H NewComer  1
Affiliations
Review

Ocular progenitor cells and current applications in regenerative medicines - Review

K Gokuladhas et al. Genes Dis. .

Abstract

The recent emerging field of regenerative medicine is to present solutions for chronic diseases which cannot be sufficiently repaired by the body's own mechanisms. Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells and have the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. Self renewal and totipotency are the characteristic features of stem cells and it holds a promising result for treating various diseases like diabetic foot ulcer, heart diseases, lung diseases, Autism, Skin diseases, arthritis including eye disease. Failure of complete recovery of eye diseases and complications that follow conventional treatments have shifted search to a new form of regenerative medicine using Stem cells. The ocular progenitor cells are remarkable in stem cell biology and replenishing degenerated cells despite being present in low quantity and quiescence in our body has a high therapeutic value. In this paper we have review the applications on ocular progenitor stem cells in treatment of human eye diseases and address the strategies that have been exploited in an effort to regain visual function in the advance treatment of stem cells without any side effects and also present the significance in advance stem cell research.

Keywords: Eye diseases; Glaucoma; Macular degeneration; Ocular progenitor cells; Regenerative medicine; Stem cells.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Hierarchy of stem cells.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The normal cross section of human eye and applications of ocular stem cells.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The normal range of vision and vision with glaucoma.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Cell-based neuroprotection/neuroenhancement therapy.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The normal range of vision and vision with macular degeneration.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Potential stem cell therapy for major eye diseases.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Fortier L.A. Stem cells: classifications, controversies, and clinical applications. Vet Surg. 2005;34(5):415–423. - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization (WHO) WHO; Geneva: 2016. Country and Regional Data on Diabetes.
    1. Sicree R., Shaw J., Zimmet P. Prevalence and projections. In: Gan D., editor. Diabetes Atlas International Diabetes Federation. 3rd ed. International Diabetes Federation; Brussels, Belgium: 2006. pp. 16–104.
    1. Romano A.C., Espana E.M., Yoo S.H., Budak M.T., Wolosin J.M., Tseng S.C. Different cell sizes in human limbal and central corneal basal epithelia measured by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2003;44:5125–5129. - PubMed
    1. Sengupta N., Caballero S., Sullivan S.M. Regulation of adult hematopoietic stem cells fate for enhanced tissue-specific repair. Mol Ther. 2009;17:1594–1604. - PMC - PubMed