Successful trial results announced for potential rare eye disease treatment
Ella Day | April 14, 2025 | News story | Research and Development | Eyestem, Opthalmology, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), biotech, cell therapy, eye disease
Eyestem Research, an Indian biotech company, announced successful results from its phase 1 trial of Eyecyte-RPE, a potential therapy for a rare form of dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), geographic atrophy (GA). GA is an advanced form of AMD, which affects a small number of AMD patients.
The phase 1 trial found advancement in visual ability of patients after being injected with Eyecyte-RPE. Specifically, there was an average improvement of 14.9 letters in visual acuity reported in six out of nine patients over a four to six month follow up. Acuity was determined using standard vision tests, known as early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS). Moreover, retinal imaging scans indicated signs of disease reversal in a handful of patients.
Jogin Desai, Eyestem’s founder and chief executive officer, said: “The substantial vision improvement, sustained over a four to six month period in all six patients… has been very encouraging and has the potential to reshape the landscape of GA treatment globally. It is especially rewarding to see the improvement in the quality of life in these patients.”
GA leads to progressive and irreversible loss of central vision, involving the death of macula cells, within the retina. Globally, approximately five million people suffer from GA. Eyestem focuses on treating eye diseases such as AMD and GA using cell therapies.
Eyecyte-RPE is Eyestem’s leading retinal cell therapy product. It can help replace the damaged or lost retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells and potentially enable tissue regeneration in the diseased retina.
Later this year, Eyestem will present its data at the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology Annual Meeting and the Retinal Cell and Gene Therapy Innovation Summit. It anticipates the second phase of the trial of Eyecyte-RPE. Desai, added: “We look forward to exploring these early results further in our phase two study in India and the US.”
Ella Day
14/4/25
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