A study published in Cell Stem Cell is offering new hope for people with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that currently causes irreversible vision loss in millions of older adults. The first-of-its-kind clinical trial is evaluating whether transplants of adult-derived stem cells can safely and effectively restore sight in patients who have already lost significant central vision. Early findings from the phase 1/2a trial show that the treatment appears safe and may lead to measurable improvements in visual function.
In this trial, scientists transplanted retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) stem cells into the eyes of volunteers with advanced dry AMD. These specialized cells were obtained from adult postmortem eye tissue and are capable only of maturing into RPE cells the same cells that deteriorate and die in dry AMD. Over time, the loss of RPE cells causes…
