Moorfields Eye Hospital

About: Moorfields Eye Hospital is a healthcare organization based out in London, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Visual acuity & Glaucoma. The organization has 3721 authors who have published 6790 publications receiving 246004 citations.

MIO‐M1 Cells and Similar Müller Glial Cell Lines Derived from Adult Human Retina Exhibit Neural Stem Cell Characteristics

Abstract: Growing evidence suggests that glial cells may have a role as neural precursors in the adult central nervous system. Although it has been shown that Muller cells exhibit progenitor characteristics in the postnatal chick and rat retinae, their progenitor-like role in developed human retina is unknown. We first reported the Muller glial characteristics of the spontaneously immortalized human cell line MIO-M1, but recently we have derived similar cell lines from the neural retina of several adult eye donors. Since immortalization is one of the main properties of stem cells, we investigated whether these cells expressed stem cell markers. Cells were grown as adherent monolayers, responded to epidermal growth factor, and could be expanded indefinitely without growth factors under normal culture conditions. They could be frozen and thawed without losing their characteristics. In the presence of extracellular matrix and fibroblast growth factor-2 or retinoic acid, they acquired neural morphology, formed neurospheres, and expressed neural stem cell markers including betaIII tubulin, Sox2, Pax6, Chx10, and Notch 1. They also expressed markers of postmitotic retinal neurons, including peripherin, recoverin, calretinin, S-opsin, and Brn3. When grafted into the subretinal space of dystrophic Royal College of Surgeons rats or neonatal Lister hooded rats, immortalized cells migrated into the retina, where they expressed various markers of retinal neurons. These observations indicate that adult human neural retina harbors a population of cells that express both Muller glial and stem cell markers and suggest that these cells may have potential use for cell-based therapies to restore retinal function. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest is found at the end of this article.

Novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19): The importance of recognising possible early ocular manifestation and using protective eyewear.

Abstract: On 31 December 2019, China notified WHO of a pneumonia outbreak of then unknown aetiology in Wuhan,1 a city of 11 million people in Hubei province. The seafood market which was thought to be the source was closed on 1 January 2020.2 The causative organism was identified on 7 January 2020 as a novel coronavirus (nCOV). The genetic sequence of at least 19 strains found in infected patients has been published so far.3 4 To date, COVID-19 has already confirmed to have affected almost >68,000 with >1600 deaths in China, and over 680 cases outside of China spanning 25 countries over South East Asia, Europe, North America, Australia and the Middle East, etc. This number is expected to rise over the next few months worldwide. So far, 41 million from China and at least 14 cities in the Hubei province have travel restrictions, some with suspension of outbound flights and trains as well as other public transport, and many countries are taking measures to quarantine travellers from China. Comparisons are being made with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), also both caused by coronaviruses. SARS emerged in 2003 and caused the first pandemic of the 21st century, affecting more than 8000 people, …

Retinal thickness measured with optical coherence tomography and risk of disability worsening in multiple sclerosis: a cohort study

Abstract: Summary Background Most patients with multiple sclerosis without previous optic neuritis have thinner retinal layers than healthy controls. We assessed the role of peripapillary retinal nerve fibre layer (pRNFL) thickness and macular volume in eyes with no history of optic neuritis as a biomarker of disability worsening in a cohort of patients with multiple sclerosis who had at least one eye without optic neuritis available. Methods In this multicentre, cohort study, we collected data about patients (age ≥16 years old) with clinically isolated syndrome, relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis, and progressive multiple sclerosis. Patients were recruited from centres in Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Canada, and the USA, with the first cohort starting in 2008 and the latest cohort starting in 2013. We assessed disability worsening using the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS). The pRNFL thickness and macular volume were assessed once at study entry (baseline) by optical coherence tomography (OCT) and was calculated as the mean value of both eyes without optic neuritis for patients without a history of optic neuritis or the value of the non-optic neuritis eye for patients with previous unilateral optic neuritis. Researchers who did the OCT at baseline were masked to EDSS results and the researchers assessing disability with EDSS were masked to OCT results. We estimated the association of pRNFL thickness or macular volume at baseline in eyes without optic neuritis with the risk of subsequent disability worsening by use of proportional hazards models that included OCT metrics and age, disease duration, disability, presence of previous unilateral optic neuritis, and use of disease-modifying therapies as covariates. Findings 879 patients with clinically isolated syndrome (n=74), relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (n=664), or progressive multiple sclerosis (n=141) were included in the primary analyses. Disability worsening occurred in 252 (29%) of 879 patients with multiple sclerosis after a median follow-up of 2·0 years (range 0·5–5 years). Patients with a pRNFL of less than or equal to 87 μm or less than or equal to 88 μm (measured with Spectralis or Cirrus OCT devices) had double the risk of disability worsening at any time after the first and up to the third years of follow-up (hazard ratio 2·06, 95% CI 1·36–3·11; p=0·001), and the risk was increased by nearly four times after the third and up to the fifth years of follow-up (3·81, 1·63–8·91; p=0·002). We did not identify meaningful associations for macular volume. Interpretation Our results provide evidence of the usefulness of monitoring pRNFL thickness by OCT for prediction of the risk of disability worsening with time in patients with multiple sclerosis. Funding Instituto de Salud Carlos III.