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Immunological problems of transplantation into the subretinal space
- Source :
- Acta anatomica. 162(2-3)
- Publication Year :
- 1998
-
Abstract
- The objective of retinal transplantation is to substitute destroyed or degenerated retina to improve visual function. Photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium cells of embryonic and nonembryonic origin have been transplanted into the subretinal space in different animal models. Recently, retinal cells have also been used for transplantation in untreated or immunosuppressed patients with retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. Transplants performed in animals such as the RCS rat have maintained retinal function at the transplantation site for long periods of time, although such transplantations in humans have not proved conclusively, to date, whether there is a real effect or not. One reason for this phenomenon seems to be an immune response to transplanted retinal cells at the transplantation site. The detectable rejection process shows that the posterior part of the eye is not absolutely immunologically privileged and that rejection is a serious problem in human retinal transplantation. Many questions concerning transplantation technique, graft treatment and postoperative treatment will be answered through more intensive experiments and clinical trials regarding the immunology. However, rejection of transplanted material is one of the main reasons why retinal transplantation has not yet proved successful.
- Subjects :
- Graft Rejection
medicine.medical_specialty
Histology
Cell Transplantation
In Vitro Techniques
Rats, Mutant Strains
Retina
chemistry.chemical_compound
Retinal Diseases
Ophthalmology
Retinitis pigmentosa
medicine
Animals
Humans
Pigment Epithelium of Eye
Retinal regeneration
Retinal pigment epithelium
Gene therapy of the human retina
business.industry
Retinal
Macular degeneration
medicine.disease
Rats
Transplantation
surgical procedures, operative
medicine.anatomical_structure
chemistry
Anatomy
business
Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 00015180
- Volume :
- 162
- Issue :
- 2-3
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Acta anatomica
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....9290dd857e1c57cde58b7abadfd4a5e9