Stem Cells Restore Vision in Eye Injury Patients in Clinical Trial
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Stem Cells Restore Vision in Eye Injury Patients in Clinical Trial
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Stem Cells Restore Vision in Eye Injury Patients in Clinical Trial
In a groundbreaking phase I clinical trial, scientists have demonstrated that corneal transplants cultivated from a patient’s own stem cells can successfully restore partial vision in eyes damaged by injury. The cornea, the transparent front part of the eye, can impact vision when damaged due to injuries or diseases.
Using donated corneas for corneal transplants is a common method to address such damage. However, in cases of eye damage caused by chemical burns, the surrounding tissues may be too severely damaged to support a transplant.
A new clinical trial explored an experimental therapy to aid these patients, called Cultivated Autologous Limbal Epithelial Cell (CALEC) transplantation.
This approach involves extracting stem cells from the patient’s other eye and cultivating them into thin sheets in a laboratory. Several weeks later, these new CALEC transplants can be grafted onto the damaged eye.
They not only help improve the patient’s vision but also stimulate the growth of new cells, potentially making them suitable for conventional corneal transplants in the future.
Among the five patients who participated in the phase I study, two experienced significant vision improvement without further intervention.
Their vision improved to 20/30, with one going from 20/40 to 20/30, and the other, who previously could only perceive broad hand movements.
Two other participants met the criteria for corneal transplantation. Unfortunately, the fifth participant couldn’t undergo CALEC transplantation due to insufficient stem cell expansion in the lab.
These results offer hope for other patients who may now have a new option to regain vision lost due to injuries. The next phase of trials has already commenced, with 15 patients receiving CALEC transplants and currently undergoing an 18-month follow-up.
“Our early research findings suggest that CALEC may offer hope to patients suffering from significant corneal damage resulting in vision loss and untreatable pain,” said Dr. Ula Jurkunas, the lead author and principal investigator of the study, who holds a medical doctorate. “Corneal specialists have long been limited by a lack of safe treatment options for patients unable to undergo artificial corneal transplants due to chemical burns and injuries. We hope that through further research, CALEC may one day fill this critical treatment gap.”
This research has been published in the journal “Science Advances.”
Stem Cells Restore Vision in Eye Injury Patients in Clinical Trial
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