- inSIGHT, Retina India’s publication has been published for the month of May 2013. Please click here to read.
- Advanced Cell Technology, Inc., a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, has announced treatment of the first patient in the third dosage cohort, and seventh patient overall, in its European Phase I clinical trial for Stargardt’s macular dystrophy (SMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). The patient was injected with 150,000 hESC-derived RPE cells, as compared with the 100,000-cell dose used in patients of the second cohort. The surgery was performed on Friday, April 19, without any complications, and the patient is recovering uneventfully. The Phase 1/2 trial is designed to determine the safety and tolerability of hESC-derived RPE cells following sub-retinal transplantation in patients with SMD at 12 months, the study’s primary endpoint. It will involve a total of 12 patients, with cohorts of three patients each in an ascending dosage format. To know more about Stargardt’s, please click here.
- Acucela has announced initiation of Phase 2b/3 Clinical Trial of Emixustat Hydrochloride (formerly known as ACU-4429) in subjects with Geographic Atrophy (GA) associated with Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The SEATTLE Study (for Safety and Efficacy Assessment Treatment Trials of Emixustat Hydrochloride) was initiated following successful completion of the phase 2a study, the results of which will be announced at The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) 2013 Annual Meeting in Seattle. Please read here to know more. To know more about AMD, please click here and here.
- Insight April 2013 issue is now online. Please read it here.
- Retina India’s online donation portal has started functioning. We need your support. Please click below on the donate button to proceed to our online donation portal.
- Preliminary discussions on starting a National Reading Center have begun with leading eye institutions in the country. This center will focus on providing validated clinical trial experience to any institution in the country, and also help with conduct of the clinical trials.
- Retina India offers financial help to patients belonging to the economically weaker sections of society, who need financial support for receiving treatment for retinal conditions from various eye institutions around the country. For more details, please click here. This program has begun with the support of a generous benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous. If you wish to donate to this program, or wish to understand the details, please write to info@retinaindia.org.
Upcoming events:
- We are planning retinAware 2013 in October this year in Hyderabad. More details to follow.
