Pharmaceuticals containing retinal stem cells

Abstract

The invention relates to stem cells isolated from the retina of mammals and retinal cells differentiated from these stem cells. The invention also relates to a method of isolating retinal stem cells and inducing retinal stem cells to produce retinal cells. Retinal stem cells may also be induced in vivo to produce retinal cells. The invention also includes pharmaceuticals made with retinal stem cells or retinal cells which may be used to restore vision lost due to diseases, disorders or abnormal physical states of the retina. The invention includes retinal stem cell and retinal cell culture systems for toxicological assays, for isolating genes involved in retinal differentiation or for developing tumour cell lines.

1 . A method of transplanting retinal cells comprising implanting (i) isolated retinal stem cells from the retina of a mammal and/or (ii) retinal cells differentiated from said retinal cells, into the retina of an individual.  
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said mammal is a human, and said individual is a human, and said individual is suffering from a retinal disease or disorder, or an abnormal physical state of the retina of the eye.  
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2 , wherein said retinal disease or disorder, or abnormal physical state of the retina of the eye is selected from the group consisting of blindness due to disease or damage to the retina of the eye, cytomegalovirus retinitis, uveitis, glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, retinal degeneration, retinal detachment, and cancers of the retina.  
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said retinal cells are differentiated from said retinal stem cells in vitro.  
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the retinal stem cells comprise cells isolated from a retinal pigment epithelial layer of the retina and/or cells derived therefrom.