With a fast growing population of the aged, India will soon come face to face with age-related diseases like blindness and Parkinson's disease and the much-debated stem cell therapy can be used to cure both, experts on Tuesday said.
In the case of blindness, for example, identical cells from the person are pasted at the back of the retina to replace the damaged cells, which have caused the loss of sight, said Peter Coffey, Professor of Cellular Therapy at the Institute of Opthalmology in London. "This treatment, which is in the last stages of research,is also infinitely cheaper at around Rs 20,000 for the process as against higher costs for other forms of treatment," he said.
This disease affects people above 60 years of age. As the number of old people rises in India with higher life-expectancy, it becomes the duty of the government to ensure decent care for their senior citizens, Coffey said. For Peter Jenner, Professor of Pharmacology at London's King's College, who has been exploring treatment options for the dreaded Parkinson's disease, stem cell is the only long-term solution.
"Stem cell research is growing in global importance. The problems of degenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's, will be particularly acute in countries such as India," he said at a seminar on stem cell research in the capital.
Source: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200711201968.htm
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