The Lady Davis Institute and the
McGill University-Génome Québec Innovation Centre
present
A McGill Distinguished Lecture in Human Genetics
Stem cell therapy for retinal degeneration: a vision for the future
Speaker: Robin R. Ali, PhD
Professor of Human Molecular Genetics
UCL Institute of Ophthalmology and Moorfields Eye Hospital
Monday, January 27, 2014
3:30 – 5:00 p.m.
Palmer Amphitheatre
McIntyre Medical Building
Retinal degenerations leading to loss of photoreceptors are a major cause of untreatable blindness. Inherited retinal dystrophies affect 1 in 3,000 of the population, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects 1 in 10 people over 60 yrs. Currently no treatments restore lost photoreceptor cells and visual function and thus there is a need for new therapeutic approaches. We have previously discovered that transplantation of photoreceptor precursor cells at a specific stage of development results in their integration into the adult retina (MacLaren et al Nature 2006) and improves vision in mice with visual deficits (Pearson et al. Nature 2012). We recently shown for the for time, effective transplantation of mouse embryonic stem cell derived photoreceptors (Gonzales-Cordero et al, Nature Biotech, 2013), and are now developing human embryonic stem cell therapy for the treatment of retinal disorders.
Host: Dr. Rod McInnes: rod.mcinnes@mcgill.ca
Info: Maya Zaremba: rsvp.med@mcgill.ca
December 23, 2013