In the context of cell-based therapies for hereditary retinal dystrophies and other retinal disorders, interest has focussed on the therapeutic potential of embryonic and tissue-specific stem cells. Stem cells are characterised by their capacity for self-renewal and by their multipotentiality. Because of these properties, they can be expanded in vitro and eventually differentiated into "desired" specialized cell types. Stem cells are not only candidate cells for the development of cell replacement strategies, but are also interesting cells for the establishment of ex vivo gene therapies. Here, we discuss recent experimental work performed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of embryonic, mesenchymal, hematopoietic, neural and retinal stem cells for the treatment of inherited retinal dystrophies and other retinal diseases.
