Outstanding article on clinically compliant hESC-RPE used in large-eyed preclinical model

Clinically Compliant hESC-RPE Cells Functionally Integrated in a Large-Eyed Preclinical Model

Drs. Outi Hovatta, Fredrik Lanner and Anders Kvanta at Karolinska Institutet have developed an effective retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) differentiation method using human recombinant laminin-521. They also established a large-eyed geographic atrophy model that allowed in vivo imaging of the hESC-RPE and host retina.

H&E-stained image of retina from albino rabbit showing photoreceptors rescued by hESC-RPE.
Courtesy of Dr. Anders Kvanta

Highlights:

Xeno-free and defined differentiation method
Suspension transplantation in a large-eyed disease model
Functional, polarized, monolayer cell integration
hESC-RPE cells exhibit characteristics of native RPE
Long-term phagocytic and photoreceptor rescue capacity

Bright-field imaging of hESC-RPE on laminin-521.
Courtesy of Dr. Fredrik Lanner

These findings have important implications for ongoing and future clinical studies for the development of a safe and efficient cell replacement therapy for geographic atrophy. The study is published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.

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