Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has become one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. With the advancement of stem cell technology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, cell-based therapy has been inspiring for many degenerative diseases. For its unique advantages, AMD has become one of the most promising fields for cell-based therapy, which involve retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells, induced differentiation of neural retina cells and related cytokine regulations. RPE cells can be derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) or Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS). Recently hESC-derived RPE cells have been applied to patients with dry AMD with initial success in clinical trials. In terms of tissue engineering, studies are focused on factors affecting the long-term survival of transplanted cells, including tissue scaffolds, soluble hybrid materials and scaffold anchoring. This article briefly reviews the RPE differentiation, neural retina differentiation and related cytokines of cell-based therapy and scaffolds, materials, and cell-scaffolds interactions of tissue engineering in AMD treatment.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a fundus disease characterized by degeneration of retinal photoreceptor cells, RPE cells and choroidal capillaries. The pathogenesis is not clear and there is no effective treatment. Cell therapies can slow or reverse the vision loss of AMD in animal models, which include implantation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, pluripotent stem cells, RPE cells into the subretinal cavity. Therefore, cell therapy is a promising strategy for the treatment of AMD.