Stem cells injected into eye aim to halt blindness

NCT ID NCT02286089

First seen Nov 05, 2025 · Last updated Jun 23, 2026 · Updated 33 times

Summary

This study tests a stem cell therapy called OpRegen for people with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (geographic atrophy). Researchers inject retinal pigment epithelium cells derived from human embryonic stem cells into the eye to see if they can safely replace damaged cells and slow vision loss. The trial involves 24 participants aged 50 and older with poor central vision.

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This is a summary of the original study . Summaries may miss details or leave out important information. Before applying or accepting participation, make sure you have read and understood the full study. Curemydisease.com takes no responsibility whatsoever for anything missed, misunderstood, or acted upon as a result of our summary — we know it does not capture everything.

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Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Cincinnati Eye Institute

    Cincinnati, Ohio, 45242, United States

  • Hadassah Medical Center

    Jerusalem, 9112001, Israel

  • Kaplan Medical Center

    Rehovot, 76100, Israel

  • Mid Atlantic Retina

    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107, United States

  • Rabin Medical Center

    Petah Tikva, 4941492, Israel

  • Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center

    Tel Aviv, 6423906, Israel

  • West Coast Retina Medical Group

    San Francisco, California, 94109, United States

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance

OpRegen (human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium cells)

What this could lead to

If successful, this could slow or stop vision loss from dry age-related macular degeneration, offering a new treatment option for a currently untreatable condition.

What could go wrong

This is an early-phase trial with only 24 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. Risks include inflammation, retinal detachment, or the cells not surviving long-term.

Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

macular degeneration

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.