@article{cfc667d5ba09476f989208347ba3aac0,
title = "Human RPE stem cells grown into polarized RPE monolayers on a polyester matrix are maintained after grafting into rabbit subretinal space",
abstract = "Transplantation of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is being developed as a cell-replacement therapy for age-related macular degeneration. Human embryonic stem cell (hESC) and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived RPE are currently translating toward clinic. We introduce the adult human RPE stem cell (hRPESC) as an alternative RPE source. Polarized monolayers of adult hRPESC-derived RPE grown on polyester (PET) membranes had near-native characteristics. Trephined pieces of RPE monolayers on PET were transplanted subretinally in the rabbit, a large-eyed animal model. After 4 days, retinal edema was observed above the implant, detected by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and fundoscopy. At 1 week, retinal atrophy overlying the fetal or adult transplant was observed, remaining stable thereafter. Histology obtained 4 weeks after implantation confirmed a continuous polarized human RPE monolayer on PET. Taken together, the xeno-RPE survived with retained characteristics in the subretinal space. These experiments support that adult hRPESC-derived RPE are a potential source for transplantation therapies.",
author = "Stanzel, \{Boris V.\} and Zengping Liu and Sudawadee Somboonthanakij and Warapat Wongsawad and Ralf Brinken and Nicole Eter and Barbara Corneo and Holz, \{Frank G.\} and Sally Temple and Stern, \{Jeffrey H.\} and Blenkinsop, \{Timothy A.\}",
note = "Funding Information: This work was supported by BONFOR/Gerok Scholarships O-137.0015 (to B.V.S.), Ruediger Foundation grants (to B.V.S.), State Scholarship Fund/Chinese Scholarship Council 2008627116 (to Z.L.), NIH – National Eye Institute 5R01EY022079-02 (to S.T.), and NYSDOH contract C028504 (to S.T. and J.H.S.) supported by the Empire State Stem Cell Fund. Opinions expressed here are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Institutes of Health, Empire State Stem Cell Board, the New York State Department of Health, or the state of New York. A European patent application on the shooter instrument was submitted by B.V.S., Z.L., R.B., N.E. and F.G.H. (PCT/EP2012/058083). S.T. and J.H.S. have a granted US patent on aRPESC (application number 12/428,456). This paper was presented in part at the 20 th ISER meeting in July 2012 and the 3 rd TERMIS World congress in September 2012. C. Strack assisted with histologic processing, and J. Bedorf at the Institute of Pathology, University of Bonn was very helpful in obtaining transmission electron micrographs. Dr. Andrea Lohmer of HET facility, University Clinics Bonn, Bonn, Germany is gratefully acknowledged for her veterinarian services. N. Braun of Geuder AG Heidelberg, Germany provided support for instrumentation used in rabbits. We thank Carol Charniga for invaluable help with RPE dissections and culture maintenance. ",
year = "2014",
month = jan,
day = "14",
doi = "10.1016/j.stemcr.2013.11.005",
language = "English",
volume = "2",
pages = "64--77",
journal = "Stem Cell Reports",
issn = "2213-6711",
publisher = "Cell Press",
number = "1",
}