Cell-based therapies may have a role in treating retinal diseases

VIENNA, Austria — Cell-based therapies such as retinal pigment epithelium transplantation offer a viable alternative to treat retinal degenerative diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, and the therapies are expected to improve in the coming years, according to a surgeon here.

"Retinal pigment epithelial cells play a central role in maintaining visual function of the retina. A healthy RPE maintains an equilibrium between VEGF inhibition and [pigment epithelium-derived factor] production, among many other functions. Therefore, cell-derived therapies have a logical application in degenerative retinal disorders, and clinical and experimental results justify further research in this field," Susanne Binder, MD, said at the Euretina Congress.

In a prospective, randomized study, two techniques of autologous RPE transplantation were compared: RPE choroid sheet and RPE suspension. The patients enrolled in the study were affected by neovascular AMD with progressive visual loss. For various reasons, they were unsuitable to receive treatments involving laser, photodynamic therapy or anti-VEGF intravitreal injection.

In both treatment groups, visual acuity improved or remained stable, and results were comparable between groups. RPE flap vascularization was visible on indocyanine green angiography, and optical coherence tomography showed decrease of central retinal thickness. No recurrences occurred in either group during the follow-up period.