Long-Term Efficacy of GMP Grade Xeno-Free hESC-Derived RPE Cells Following Transplantation.

Purpose: Retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) dysfunction underlies the retinal degenerative process in age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and thus RPE cell replacement provides an optimal treatment target. We characterized longitudinally the efficacy of RPE cells derived under xeno-free conditions from clinical and xeno-free grade human embryonic stem cells (OpRegen) following transplantation into the subretinal space of Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats.

Methods: Postnatal (P) day 20 to 25 RCS rats ( = 242) received a single subretinal injection of 25,000 (low)-, 100,000 (mid)-, or 200,000 (high)-dose xeno-free RPE cells.

Long-term Characterization of Retinal Degeneration in Royal College of Surgeons Rats Using Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography.

Purpose: Prospective treatments for age-related macular degeneration and inherited retinal degenerations are commonly evaluated in the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat before translation into clinical application. Historically, retinal thickness obtained through postmortem anatomic assessments has been a key outcome measure; however, utility of this measurement is limited because it precludes the ability to perform longitudinal studies. To overcome this limitation, the present study was designed to provide a baseline longitudinal quantification of retinal thickness in the RCS rat by using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).