For the first time in the world, a research group at Tokyo Medical and Dental University confirmed the effect of transplanting human fibroblasts around the eyeballs of rats to suppress the progression of myopia.Fibroblasts can be collected from their own skin and are easy to culture.Myopia suppression treatment, which has been coveted from all over the world, may be possible with autotransplantation.
Although myopia is the most common visual impairment in the world, a safe and reliable treatment for suppressing the progression of myopia has not yet been established.This time, the research team focused on the fact that the sclera of the eyeball becomes thinner as myopia progresses, and that collagen, which is the main component of the sclera, and fibroblasts that produce it both decrease.By transplanting fibroblasts and supplying collagen, it was thought that the sclera would be reinforced and the progression of myopia could be suppressed.
In the experiment, fibroblasts were transplanted around the eyeballs of rat eyes that induced myopia by eyelid closure.The state of the eyeball after the treatment was observed.As a result, the numerical value that is an index of myopia was suppressed by 40% compared with the non-transplanted group.It was also found that the sclera of the eyeball was reinforced with a new layer of collagen.
From these results, it was shown that the progression of myopia could be suppressed by strengthening the eyeball by transplanting fibroblasts.Even in human applications, fibroblasts are sufficiently self-transplantable, so there is no risk of rejection due to transplant surgery.It can be said that we have taken a big step toward the development of a breakthrough treatment for suppressing myopia in humans.
Paper information: [Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine]
