Human embryonic stem cell based therapies are slowly making their way into the clinic. Geron's spinal cord injury trial was the first of course and this one is still underway. Advanced Cell Technology is starting the second trial in the US, on Stargardt's Disease, an eye disorder.
I was at the 6th NYSCF Annual Translational Stem Cell Research Conference last week, at the Rockefeller University. The two day meeting included panels on how to move the stem cell research into the clinic and latest updates from the field. I won't repeat the unpublished data here, but suffices to say that the field is moving forward both in using stem cells as models of disease in drug discovery and producing cells and tissues to replace lost or dysfunctional tissue.
Peter Coffey from University College London was named the inaugural recipient of the Robertson Prize in Stem Cell Research. Their London Project to Cure Blindness deals with age related macular degenaration. He presented an excellent talk summarizing the current surgical methods they apply to improve the lives of people suffering from this disease and then he described how they plan to use tissue generated from human embryonic stem cells in this process. Pfizer is expected to begin clinical trials soon.
A Bridge to Cures: A NYSCF Short Film from NYSCF on Vimeo.
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