UK Approves Embryonic Stem Cell Trial

The US company investigating the use of human embryonic stem cells to treat a type of macular dystrophy expands its clinical trials to the UK.

Written byJef Akst

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WIKIMEDIA COMMONS, GREYSON ORLANDO

The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) today (September 22) approved the UK’s first ever human embryonic stem cell (hESC) trial. To be led by eye surgeon James Bainbridge of Moorfields Eye Hospital and University College London, the study will involve 12 patients with Stargardt's macular dystrophy, a progressive vision loss disease for which there is currently no treatment. Patients will receive injections of hES-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells into their eyes as part of the trial.

The Massachusetts-based company, Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), received approval for its US trial from the Food and Drug Administration last year, with the first patient receiving treatment this past July. The company also plans to apply for UK approval for a trial to test the therapy ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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