Abstract
Due to the lack of endogenous repair mechanisms, the retina presents practitioners with a sizeable unmet medical need, yet recent advances in regenerative medicine have engendered hope that effective therapies can be developed. At this time stem cell-based therapeutics are advancing from the laboratory into initial clinical trials, particularly in age related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, however, the cells being used, the intended mechanism of action and method of delivery differ between projects. Here I expand on these considerations and provide some updates on the progress of the various clinical efforts.
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Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge ongoing support from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) and the Polly and Michael Smith Foundation. Some research was supported in part by an RPB Unrestricted Grant to the Gavin Herbert Eye Institute.
Disclosure Statement
The author is supported by grants from CIRM (incl., Award #DR2A-05739) and has IP and an equity interest in jCyte, Inc., a company that may potentially benefit from the research results presented. He also serves on the company's Scientific Advisory Board. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by UCI in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.
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Klassen, H. (2017). Stem Cell Trials for Retinal Disease: An Update. In: Pham, P. (eds) Neurological Regeneration. Stem Cells in Clinical Applications. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33720-3_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33720-3_10
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