The identification of small molecules that stimulate retinal pigment epithelial cells: potential novel therapeutic options for treating retinopathies

0501003 - ÚMCH 2020 RIV GB eng J - Journal Article
Artero-Castro, A. - Popelka, Štěpán - Jendelová, Pavla - Motlík, Jan - Ardan, Taras - Rodriguez Jimenez, F. J. - Erceg, Slaven
The identification of small molecules that stimulate retinal pigment epithelial cells: potential novel therapeutic options for treating retinopathies.
Expert Opinion on Drug Discovery. Roč. 14, č. 2 (2019), s. 169-177. ISSN 1746-0441. E-ISSN 1746-045X
R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA18-04393S; GA MŠMT(CZ) LO1609; GA MŠMT(CZ) EF15_003/0000419
Institutional support: RVO:61389013 ; RVO:68378041 ; RVO:67985904
Keywords : hiPSCs * retinal pigment epithelial cells * retinal dystrophies
OECD category: Polymer science; Neurosciences (including psychophysiology (UEM-P); Ophthalmology (UZFG-Y)
Impact factor: 4.887, year: 2019
Method of publishing: Limited access
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17460441.2019.1559148

Combinatory strategies using pharmacology and stem cell therapy have emerged due to their potential in the treatment of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cell related diseases, and a variety of different stem cell sources have been evaluated both in animal models and in humans. RPE cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and human induced pluripotent cells (hiPSCs) are already in clinical trials, holding great promise for the treatment of age-related macular disease (AMD) and hereditary RPE-related retinal dystrophies. Highly efficient protocol for RPE generations have been developed, but they are still time-consuming and laborious. The authors review RPE related diseases, as well as the known functions of RPE cells in retinal homeostasis. The authors also discuss small molecules that target RPE in vivo as well as in vitro to aid RPE differentiation from pluripotent stem cells clinically. The authors base this review on literature searches performed through PubMed. Using high-throughput systems, technology will provide the possibility of identifying and optimizing molecules/drugs that could lead to faster and simpler protocols for RPE differentiation. This could be crucial in moving forward to create safer and more efficient RPE-based personalized therapies.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0293214