Stem Cell Therapy Trial Restores Vision by Healing Corneal Damage

Eye injuries that damage the cornea often lead to permanent blindness, with few treatment options available. However, a new clinical trial has successfully restored vision in patients by transplanting stem cells from their healthy eyes.

The cornea, the eye’s outermost layer, plays a crucial role in focusing light toward the retina. Because it constantly faces environmental hazards, it contains limbal epithelial stem cells that repair minor damage and maintain a smooth surface. But when severe injuries—such as thermal or chemical burns—occur, these resident stem cells become overwhelmed, leaving the cornea irreversibly damaged. In such cases, even a cornea transplant may fail to take hold.

Researchers at Massachusetts Eye and Ear explored a promising solution called cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cells (CALEC). This treatment involves extracting stem cells from a patient’s uninjured eye, expanding them in the lab over several weeks, and then transplanting them into the damaged eye.

Clinical Trial Monitors Stem Cell Treatment for Corneal Repair Over 18 Months

In a phase 1/2 trial, 14 patients underwent the procedure and were monitored for 18 months. Researchers primarily assessed success based on how well the treatment repaired the cornea’s surface, with a secondary focus on improvements in visual acuity.

By the three-month mark, seven patients (50%) had fully restored corneas. By 12 months, that number had risen to 11 (79%). Two additional patients experienced partial success, bringing the overall success rate to 92%.

Some patients required additional treatment—three participants needed a second stem cell transplant, and one of them achieved full success by the study’s end. Most participants regained some level of vision in their injured eye, with a few improving from legally blind to low vision.

Importantly, no serious side effects were reported in either the donor or recipient eyes. These promising results lay the groundwork for larger clinical trials with extended follow-ups before CALEC can move toward FDA approval.

Read Original Article: New Atlas

Read More: Woolly Mouse Takes a Step Toward Resurrecting the Mammoth