Japan OKs stem cells for corneal disease

Japan's Health Ministry on Tuesday granted permission for world's first clinical test with artificially derived stem cells for the treatment of a corneal disease that causes decreasing vision, local media reported.

The corneal test, the sixth case authorized by the Japanese government using induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, will be conducted by a team of researchers from Osaka University led by Professor Kohji Nishida.

With artificial cultivation, the iPS cells can grow into any type of body tissues.