29-year old patient N.V.T from Binh Xuyen, Vinh Phuc province, and 32-year old T.V.D from Thuong Tin, Hanoi, are construction workers whose eyes were burned by hydrated lime. After six months of Auto-CLET treatment, their eyesight is on the way to being recovered.

Doctor Vu Tue Khanh, head of the Corneal and External Diseases Department of the VNIO, says if they were not treated with this method, their corneas will blur and they could even go blind.

Significant progress

Over the past two years, professors, doctors and technicians from the VNIO and the Hanoi Medical University have researched and applied stem cell transplant in eye treatments. Initially, they researched in rabbits with a project entitled “cultivated limbal corneal epithelial cells for autologous transplant in rabbits.”

Based on their results, they applied Auto-CLET in the treatment of limbal stem- cell deficiency syndrome due to lime burn and gained initial success. Eyes being burned from chemicals and heat is a common eye emergency and it is not treated quickly it can result in blindness.

This is the first time Auto-CLET has been used in humans to evaluate the initial results of the surgery for the treatment of chemical burns to the eyes.

According to Doctor Khanh, a representative for the research group, the cultivated limbal epithelial sheet has been used for limbal stem- cell deficiency syndrome treatment in Vietnam for 10 years. Cultivated limbal epithelial sheets were grafted on to the surface of the eye and the epithelial surface was reconstructed well.

Auto-CLET is a new technique for reconstructing the surface of the eye after it has suffered a chemical injury. The use of stem cells to treat diseases is a complicated issue and is likely to face a long, rocky road, doctor Khanh said.

Need investment for new technology

As of February 2011, 10 patients have been treated with stem-cells. After 6-8 months of treatment, their epithelial ocular surface has been restored and is stable and their vision has improved. Auto-CLET is new and promising modern surgical therapy to manage chemical burns. However, it needs to be performed on a large number of patients and followed - up and studied for longer time.  

In the next few years, the VNIO will conduct additional research on using stem-cells for eye treatments because of an increasing demand. However, whether the technique becomes more popular or not will depend on many factors, including equipment, scientists and doctors. Furthermore, it needs the close coordination of many relevant agencies. The decision to apply stem-cells in the healthcare sector, particularly for ophthalmology, will depend on the State’s strategic investment and orientation in order to establish a centre for stem-cell research.