Two significant events were reported today by Advanced Cell Technology. First, the company said that a peer-reviewed publication of clinical results from its first patients treated at UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute had been placed online by the UK’s …
Author: Irv Arons
Stem Cells in Ophthalmology Update 15: Wills Eye Joins ACT’s Clinical Trials for Dry AMD Using Embryonic Stem Cell-derived RPE
Advanced Cell Technology announced yesterday that the Wills Eye Institute in Philadelphia had received institutional review board (IRB) approval to become a site for the Phase I/II clinical trial for dry age-related macular degeneration (Dry AMD) using…
Gene Therapy in Ophthalmology Update 8: Promising Results in the Treatment of Leber’s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA)
As noted in the Gene Therapy in Ophthalmology by Application table shown in Update 7, there are seven clinical trials underway at various institutions aimed at the treatment of Leber’s Disease. Some of these trials have been underway for several year…
Gene Therapy in Ophthalmology Update 7: 2012 the Year for Gene Therapy?
While I have previously written about the progress being made in the use of stem cells in ophthalmology (see Stem Cell Update 13) and described the 9-10 clinical trials currently underway or about to start (see Stem Cell Update 14), recent events point…
Stem Cells in Ophthalmology Update 14: Current Stem Cell Clinical Trials
Thanks to new friend, Alexey Bersenev, and his stem cell blog, Hematopoiesis, I have been able to add several companies and medical institutions to my list of those involved in ophthalmic clinical trials using stem cells. Alexey recently posted a blog …
Stem Cells in Ophthalmology Update 13: Advanced Cell Technology Update
In the wake of the 60 Minutes expose of illegitimate stem cell activities, I thought I would bring you good news about a couple of legitimate, government approved clinical trials using stem cells.As part of the Biotech Showcase 2012 conference pr…
Gene Therapy in Ophthalmology Update 6: First-Ever Clinical Trial for the Autosomal Recessive Form of Retinitis Pigmentosa (arRP) is Underway
It has been difficult keeping up with the changing world of gene therapy in ophthalmology, but thanks to the Foundation Fighting Blindness, I learned yesterday about this new, and first clinical study for treating a rare form of retinitis pigmentosa, u…
Gene Therapy in Ophthalmology Update 5: A Complement-Based Gene Therapy for AMD
Selected Reviews of AAO 2011 Retina SubSpecialty Day PresentationsHere is another overview of a presentation made during the Retina SubSpecialty Day Meeting. Dr. Elias Reichel, of Tufts University School of Medicine and a founder of Hemera Bioscie…
Gene Therapy in Ophthalmology Update 4: Table of Companies and Institutions Participating
As a followup to the stem cells in ophthalmology table recently published, here is one tabulating the participants using gene therapy in ophthalmology.When I first wrote about gene therapy in ophthalmology (Gene Therapy for RP and Dry AMD) in November …
Stem Cells in Ophthalmology Update 12: Updated Table of Company Participants
When I first wrote about stem cells in ophthalmology (Primer) in September 2010, I was able to identify six companies participating. Since then, and with the help of a few friends, I can now identify eleven companies using stem cells to treat ophthalmi…
Iluvien Update 4: FDA Turns Down Alimera’s NDA for Approval of Iluvien Again
Alimera again received bad news from the FDA on its application for approval of Iluvien. In a letter (a CRL or complete response letter), the FDA said that questions remained based on the data previously submitted, about the adverse reactions shown by …
Fighting Retinal Disease: The Promise of New Approaches
Dr. Stephen Rose, the Chief Research Officer of the Foundation Fighting Blindness has just written an article about emerging treatments for retinal diseases, including the use of stem cells, gene therapy and new pharmaceutical approaches. I feel it is …
Gene Therapy in Ophthalmology Update 3: Genetic Testing of RP Patients Necessary in Order to Direct Treatment
Selected Reviews of AAO 2011 Retina SubSpecialty Day PresentationsHere is another of the presentations made during the Retina SubSpecialty Day Meeting.Dr. Stephen Tsang presented on factors and the genetics of retinitis pigmentosa. His paper was based …
Gene Therapy in Ophthalmology Update 2: Foundation Fighting Blindness Funds Six New Gene Therapy Projects
In a news release that I found on the net, I learned that the FFB was going to put $8.25 million into six gene therapy projects, either already underway or about to start. The release contains good information about several projects that I knew about, …
Stem Cells in Ophthalmology Update 11: Catheter Delivered Stem Cells to Treat Geographic Atrophy in Dry AMD
Selected Reviews of AAO 2011 Retina SubSpecialty Day PresentationsFrom afar (my home), I reviewed the program for the Retina SubSpecialty Program and decided to write about several of the presentations on the program. I was able to obtain a copy of the…
Gene Therapy Update 1: First Clinical Trial for a Form of Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) Approved to Begin
In an announcement today, Oxford BioMedica said that it had gained approval from the FDA to begin a Phase I/IIa Clinical Trial for a form of Usher’s Syndrome, Type 1B, which leads to progressive retinitis pigmentosa combined with a congenital hearing…
Avastin/Lucentis Update 51: And, the Dam Breaks!
After reporting on the news out of England earlier this week (Update 50), I have been waiting for the “other shoe” to drop – and it just has, as reported by InPharm this morning (as tweeted by RetinaToday). Here is the story found on the InPharm …
Avastin/Lucentis Update 50: A Possible Break in the Dam?
News has just come out of England that Novartis may discount the price of Lucentis to off-set the gains made by Avastin in the treatment of wet AMD. As Nick Smith of APM Health Europe wrote yesterday, Novartis is considering cutting the price of Lucent…
Stem Cells in Ophthalmology Update 10: ACT Expands Trials for Embryonic Stem Cells for Stargardt’s to the UK
In a news announcement today, Advanced Cell Technology said it had received approval to expand its stem cell treatment for Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy to Moorfield’s Hospital in the UK.As reported by the Guardian, “The Massachusetts-based compa…
Avastin/Lucentis Update 49: A Follow-up on Infections from Intravitreal Injections
In my last posting (Avastin/Lucentis Update 48), I wrote about the problems with Avastin injections, that appeared to be caused by non-sterile/non-aseptic techniques during re-packaging Avastin from 4 ml bottles into much smaller doses (0.05ml) in tube…