Stem Cell Studies Underway

The US government has OK'd a human study using a therapy derived from embryonic stem cells to treat Stargardt disease, a rare disease that causes loss of vision, says the AP's Malcolm Ritter. This is only the second embryonic stem cell study the government has ever approved in humans. It will be conducted by California biotech company Advanced Cell Technology, and should begin early in 2011. Though Stargardt disease is rare, ACT hopes that the same approach, if successful, could also be used to treat more common eye problems like macular degeneration, Ritter says. Last month, Geron Corp. began preliminary testing in humans to treat spinal cord injuries with cells derived from embryonic stem cells, he adds.