The repair and regeneration of tissues using endogenous stem cells represents an ultimate goal in regenerative medicine. To our knowledge, human lens regeneration had not yet been demonstrated. Currently the only treatment for cataracts, the leading cause of blindness worldwide, is to extract the cataractous lens and implant an artificial intraocular lens.
However, this procedure poses notable risks of complication. The new way here is to isolate lens epithelial stem / progenitor cells (LECs) in mammals and show that Pax6 and Bmi1 are required for LEC renewal. The researchers decide a surgical method of cataract removal that preserves endogenous LECs and achieve functional lens regeneration in rabbits and macaques, as well as in human infants with cataracts.
The new method differs conceptually from current practice, as it preserves endogenous LECs and their natural environment maximally, and regenerates lens with visual function. This approach demonstrates a novel treatment strategy for cataracts and provides a new paradigm for tissue regeneration using endogenous stem cells.
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