Main description:

This book discusses why specific diseases are being targeted for cell-based retinal therapy, what evidence exists that justifies optimism for this approach, and what challenges must be managed in order to bring this technology from the laboratory into routine clinical practice. There are a number of unanswered questions (e.g., surgical approach to cell delivery, management of immune response, optimum cell type to transplant) that very likely are not going to be answered until human trials are undertaken, but there is a certain amount of "de-risking" that can be done with preclinical experimentation. This book is essential reading for scientists, clinicians, and advanced students in stem cell research, cell biology, and ophthalmology.

Contents:

1. Advantages of the Eye as a Target Organ for Cell-Based Therapy in the Central Nervous System2. Proof of Principle: Preclinical Data on Retinal Cell Transplantation3. Clinical and Pathological Features of Selected Human Retinal Degenerative Diseases4. Degenerative Retinal Diseases: Cells sources for cell-based therapy5. Manufacturing of Clinical Grade Cellular Products Under Gmp Conditions6. Regulatory Requirements for Cell-Based Therapy for Degenerative Retinal Disease7. Biomaterials and Scaffolds for Cell Replacement Therapy8. Restoration of cone photoreceptor function in retinitis pigmentosa (RP) - retinal cell-based therapy9. Cell Delivery: Surgical Approaches10. Diagnosis and Complementary Examinations11. Cell Therapy for Degenerative Retinal Disease: special focus on cell fusion-mediated regeneration12. Clinical Trials of Retinal Cell Therapy13. Future DirectionsIndex