Stem cell-based technologies in treatment of age-related macular degeneration patients: current state of the problem

Abstract

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common disease of the macula the area responsible for central vision. With regard to the pathogenesis of AMD, the main focus of most researchers is on the pathological processes occurring in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), which is considered as the main target of the disease. For the treatment of the dry form of the disease, which accounts for about 90% of all AMD cases, up to now no effective treatment methods were elaborated, while in the therapy of the wet form, antiangiogenic therapy, photodynamic therapy, and surgical treatment methods have been used with concrete success. Stem cells, possessing enormous therapeutic potential, are gradually being introduced into medical technologies, including ophthalmology. A number of pre-clinical studies have proven the safety of using cultured cells of the RPE, which gave rise to the beginning of clinical trials of the use of stem cells in the treatment of AMD patients. The review analyzes the data of scientific literature on the current understanding of the pathogenesis of AMD, pathogenetically substantiated therapies, including those using cell-based technologies, prospects and problems of using stem cells in the treatment of AMD patients.