Human adult Muller cells/Retinal cell lines for retinal regeneration and the treatment of visual disorders

 This technology relates to the generation of a population of Muller cells with stem/progenitor characteristics that can be used to restore and regenerate retinal anatomy and function in ophthalmic conditions.

This technology relates to the restoration of visual function by cell transplantation. In particular, by the use of adult Muller stem cells in the treatment of visual disorders, neurological disorders, repair of the peripheral nervous system and spinal cord repair.

Muller cells from the adult human retina can be obtained and made to behave like stem cells under appropriate conditions. The cells can be differentiated to produce retinal cells of a specific phenotype. This allows large quantities of cells to be obtained and used in transplantation therapy to treat various retinal disorders. These cells have been shown to preserve retinal integrity and attenuate loss of visual function when injected into the sub-retinal space of the RCS rat.

Present treatments for diseases leading to blindness such as Age Related Macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy are only supportive or slow down disease but do not restore visual function. Transplantation of these Muller stem cells could be a potential therapy to restore vision and has advantages over existing cell lines in that this cell line expresses retinal neural markers and the use of a matrix supporting material allows multiple layers of retinal cells to be prepared, each layer having a different phenotype allowing a retinal structure for grafting.

UCL BioMedica is now looking to licence and further develop this technology with an appropriate commercial partner. An exclusive or non-exclusive licence would be available.