London Project to Cure Blindness

A pioneering trial of a new treatment derived from stem cells for people with 'wet' age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has commenced at Moorfields Eye Hospital following a successful operation on a patient. This first operation is a major milestone in the London Project to Cure Blindness, which was established 10 years ago with the aim of curing vision loss in patients with wet AMD, and is the result of a partnership between the hospital, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, UCL Business PLC and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Pfizer Inc. joined the partnership [in 2009] with the goal of helping to turn the original idea into a potential therapy. The trial is investigating the safety and efficacy of transplanting eye cells (retinal pigment epithelium) derived from stem cells to treat people with sudden severe visual loss from wet AMD. These cells are used to replace those at the back of the eye that are diseased in AMD. This is done using a specially engineered patch inserted behind the retina in an operation lasting one to two hours.