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The treatment, given to four people with damaged corneas, seems safe but needs to be tested in larger trials . Originally published by Smriti Mallapaty at Nature, on 8 November 2024 The transparent cornea is the outermost layer of the eye. Credit: Patrick Landmann/SPL Three people with severely impaired vision who received stem-cell transplants have experienced s ubstantial improvements in their sigh t that have persisted f or more than a year . A fourth person with severely impaired vision also experienced gains in their sight, but they did not last . The four are the first to receive transplants made from reprogrammed stem cells to treat damaged cornea s, the transparent outer surface of the eye 1 . The results, described in The Lancet today, are impressive, says Kapil Bharti, a translational stem-cell researcher at the US National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, in Bethesda, Maryland. “This is an exciting development.” “ The results merit treating more...

 Originally published by University of Vienna, on August 19, 2024 A single Nematostella polyp. Credit: Yulia Kraus The sea anemone Nematostella vectensis is potentially immortal . Using molecular genetic methods , developmental biologists led byUlrich Technau from the University of Vienna have now identified possible candidates for multipotent stem cells in the sea anemone for the first time. These stem cells are r egulated by evolutionary highly conserved genes , which in humans are usually only active in the formation of egg and sperm cells , but give ancient animal phyla such as cnidarians a high degree of regenerative capacity to even escape aging . The results are published in Science Advances and could also provide insights into the human aging process in the future. " We live as long as our stem cells " is a somewhat bold but essentially accurate statement. Stem cells contribute to the constant renewal of various cells and tissues in humans, e.g. blood ...