Restorative action of stem cells in neuroretinal degenerations as a possible application by ocular mesenchymal autograft

This research wanted to explore the recent and future therapeutic possibilities in patients affected by neuroretinal degeneration through the use of stem cells. There are numerous degenerative neuroretinal diseases, each with its own etiology and genetics, including glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, degenerative myopia, diabetic retinopathy, inherited retinal dystrophies, etc. Molecular dysfunction may initially affect neural cells, ganglion cells, photoreceptors (cones or rods), and support cells, such as Müller cells or retinal pigment epithelium cells. As the disease progresses, dysfunction and subsequent loss of these cells lead to severe sensory impairment: the end result is the permanent and irreversible loss of vision or part of it. In the last two decades, new therapeutic avenues aimed at treating degenerative eye diseases have been hypothesized. These approaches include restoration of defective genes, when the disease is caused by a genetic defect, and stem cell transplantation to replace dead cells or repair defective ones, regardless of the cause. Moreover, for gene therapy to be effective, it should be applied before the retina is compromised by the degenerative disease. For this reason, the interest of the scientific community has also turned to restorative strategies based on the use of stem cells, either systemically injected or locally implanted. There are numerous advantages to using cell therapy in ophthalmology. The surgical approach is theoretically simple and potentially within the reach of ophthalmologists. The effect of cell transplantation can be easily monitored with currently available imaging methods. According to the case, the contralateral eye could be used as a control. Long-term immunosuppressive treatment is not required either in the case of heterologous implants because of the immune privilege of the eye or of autologous cells. In summary, the study investigated the various issues described above in light of the new regenerative therapies with stem cells.