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Study shows CNTF may benefit geographic atrophy patients
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SAN DIEGO — Ciliary neurotrophic factor may slow the progression of vision loss associated with geographic atrophy, according to a press release from the University of California, San Diego.
A phase 2 multicenter clinical trial revealed high doses of ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) delivered using encapsulated cell therapy can slow the loss of photoreceptor cells in the retina. The results were published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
In the study, 27 patients with geographic atrophy received high-dose CNTF through a capsule implanted in the back of the eye, 12 patients received sham surgery and 12 patients received low-dose CNTF.
According to the press release, the high-dose group showed a statistically significant difference in total macular volume after 12 months. Of those patients, 96.3% maintained stabilized vision, compared with 75% of patients in the sham-treatment group.
The high-dose group also showed increased retinal thickness 4 months after the implant, which correlated with vision stabilization, the release said.