Two Patients Undergo Stem-Cell Blindness Treatment From: Technology Review - 07/14/2011 By: Antonio Regalado A small biotech firm is the second company to start human tests of embryonic stem-cell therapy. In a bid to harness the potential of embryonic stem cells, surgeons in California have implanted lab-grown retinal cells into the eyes of two patients going blind from macular degeneration. The two patients, whose names weren't released, are among the first volunteers ever to receive a treatment created using embryonic stem cells. Last year, another biotech company, Geron, began a small study using stem cells in a bid to repair spinal cord injury. Researchers see the start of a second set of tests, in blindness, as an important landmark for the stem-cell field. Read the entire article at: http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/38030/ Links: Steven Schwartz http://www.jsei.org/Research/DisplayScientist.asp?EmployeeID=15801 Advanced Cell Technology http://www.advancedcell.com/