Dr Julie Daniels is leading the research team. She said: “Before the surgery the patients were barely able to recognise when someone was waving a hand in front of their face but we have restored their vision to the point they can read three to four lines down the eye chart.”

The patients lost their sight through chemical burns or the rare genetic disease aniridia. They had injuries to the limbal cells in their eyes. These cells form the transparent layer on the outside of the cornea.

Dr Daniels explained why this damage causes blindness: “Their cornea becomes opaque, blood vessels grow across it and their eyes become inflamed and they can’t see anymore. It is very painful.” She continued, “By replacing the limbal stem cells, the cornea begins to clear up as the cells are replaced with the healthy transparent layer again.”

She explained that the procedure has not yet resulted in complete restoration of sight, though patients have reported improvements, including six who show unprecedented recovery.

Scientists at Moorfields Eye Hospital hope to use stem cells to treat other causes of blindness. They anticipate creating small patches of retina cells that detect light at the back of the eye.

Supporters of the research emphasize that while these treatments are groundbreaking, they will require a great deal of research, and therefore time, before they will become widely used.

Read more at the Telegraph.

The disease has devastating effects. The slightest pressure or bump forms huge blisters on the skin. The blisters cause the skin to slough off.  The same process affects the lining of the mouth, esophagus and intestinal tract, making it impossible for children to eat normally. There was no treatment for this disease. That is, there was no treatment until the experimental process used on Nate and Jake.

Doctors at the University of Minnesota provided this treatment through a bone marrow stem cell transplant on each brother.  They collected cord blood and bone marrow stem cells from a healthy sibling of Nate and Jake. They first treated two-year-old Nate, despite that trying this experimental technique was a big medical risk. Until then, it had only been tested on mice. Theresa Liao’s two year-old had already lost fingers and bore numerous scars due to the disorder. Knowing there was no existing cure, she felt they had little to lose by trying.