Advances in stem cell research in London
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With more stem cell research centres than any other city in the world, London is a world leader. Advancing at a rapid pace, London institutions are developing projects to find cures for diseases such as age related blindness, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Many scientists believe that pioneering research could be the key in the battle against disease as stem cells have the remarkable potential to develop into many different cell types in the body and can replenish other cells to help improve people's lives.
One life changing London project aims to treat the common cause of blindness in old age within five years. University College London's ‘London Project to Cure Blindness', led by Professor Pete Coffey at the Institute of Ophthalmology, is a groundbreaking surgical therapy capable of stabilising and restoring vision in the vast majority of patients who suffer blindness through Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
The London Project to Cure Blindness will develop a therapy to cure blindness by using stem cells derived from human embryonic stem cells to replace faulty retinal cells that cause AMD. Thanks to a £4 million donation from a US private donor, the project will assemble the necessary spectrum of scientists and clinicians to accelerate the technique's move from laboratory to clinic. The project will also be made available to interested scientists and clinicians world-wide.
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Posted: Tuesday 9 February 2010