A team of Japanese scientists Day 12/9 was successfully transplanted retinal cells developed from pluripotent stem cells (iPS) to a woman about 70 years old and this is the first time cells iPS stem is put into the human body through surgery.

Ca clinical trials - the researchers from the Riken Research Institute, Institute of Biomedical Research and Innovation Hospital in Kobe, using iPS cells, a type of stem cells by Professor Shinya Yamanaka of Kyoto University discovered development, can grow into different tissues in the human body.

Day 12/9 surgeries first to test risk of progression, including cancer, after retinal cell transplant for patients with wet macular degeneration due to age, a forms of retinal degenerative diseases cause blindness.

Before surgery, the researchers at the Center for Developmental Biology, Riken was first created iPS cells by introducing genes into skin cells controls taken from the patient's body. Then, this group has created a pigment epithelial membrane, a layer of protection in the form of retinal cells by developing iPS cells into retinal pigment epithelium.

According Riken, during the two-hour surgery at a hospital in Kobe, plate retina were transplanted into the patient's eyes after removal of membrane abnormalities in retinal tissue of female patients.

The team said after the surgery that nothing serious or harm caused to patients, namely the loss of blood.

The first patient volunteers transplant surgery is a woman living in Hyogo Prefecture, central Japan. If nothing changes, patients can be discharged within 3-7 days.

Speaking at a press conference in Kobe, head of the research team Masayo Takahashi said: "I am reassured that the surgery has ended successfully. I hope this will be a significant step forward. "

The team is expected to carry out surgery for six patients. Maybe it will take about a year to determine the safety and the impact of transplant surgery.

At a separate news conference in Kyoto, Professor Yamanaka congratulate the team successful surgery for that: "This is a result of long efforts by which the group has made a step forward in a period short approximately seven years from the iPS cells are created. I want to express admiration for the group ".

Nobel Prize winning scientist, said: "Phase practical applications of medical research has started from now on. I feel the responsibility of a technological development ".

People with the disease wet macular degeneration can often undergo deterioration or distortion of vision or retinal damage due to abnormal proliferation of blood vessels.

In Japan, approximately 700,000 people are currently affected by the disease. Japanese Ministry of Health considered as an incurable disease.

Professor Yamanaka won the Nobel Prize in 2012 together biomedical researcher John Gurdon for groundbreaking work on iPS cells.