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Ocular Progenitor Cells and Current Applications in

Regenerative medicines – Review ☆

K.Gokuladhas, N. Sivapriya, M. Barath, Charles H. Newcomer

World Stem Cell Clinic 

Received 29 November 2016 – – – Revised 28 January 2017 – – – Accepted 31 January 2017 – – – Available online 10 February 2017

Open Access funded by Chongqing Medical University

Under a Creative Commons license

Abstract

The recent emerging field of regenerative medicine is to present solutions for chronic diseases which cannot be sufficiently repaired by the body’s own mechanisms. Stem cells are undifferentiated biological cells and have the potential to develop into many different cell types in the body during early life and growth. Self-renewal and totipotency are the characteristic features of stem cells and it holds a promising result for treating various diseases like diabetic foot ulcer, heart diseases, lung diseases, Autism, Skin diseases, arthritis including eye disease. Failure of complete recovery of eye diseases and complications that follow conventional treatments have shifted search to a new form of regenerative medicine using Stem cells. The ocular progenitor cells are remarkable in stem cell biology and replenishing degenerated cells despite being present in low quantity and quiescence in our body has a high therapeutic value. In this paper, we have reviewed the applications on ocular progenitor stem cells in the treatment of human eye diseases and address the strategies that have been exploited in an effort to regain visual function in the advanced treatment of stem cells without any side effects and also present the significance in advance stem cell research.

Keywords
Stem Cells; Ocular progenitor cells; Eye Diseases; Regenerative Medicine; Macular degeneration; Glaucoma

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352304217300041