Stem Cell Transplant Restores Vision in Early human Trial for Dry Macular degeneration
ANN ARBOR, MI – A first-of-its-kind clinical trial has demonstrated notable vision improvement in patients with advanced dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) following a stem cell transplant. Researchers at michigan Medicine report that a single injection of 50,000 retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) stem cells led to measurable gains in vision for all participants, with the most severely affected patients seeing an average improvement of 21 letters on an eye chart after one year.The findings,published in Cell Stem Cell on August 29,2025,suggest a potential breakthrough in treating a leading cause of vision loss.
Dry AMD occurs when deposits called drusen accumulate beneath the RPE, a layer of cells crucial for supporting photoreceptors in the retina. Currently, there are limited treatment options for the advanced stages of the disease. This trial utilized stem cells sourced from an eye bank, surgically transplanted under the retina of the patients’ most impaired eye.
the trial prioritized safety, and researchers found no evidence of immune rejection or tumor formation – potential complications associated with stem cell therapies.While some typical post-operative complications were observed, no adverse events were directly linked to the stem cells themselves.
“Even though we were pleased with the safety data, the exciting part was that their vision was also improving,” said Rajesh Rao, a physician-scientist and ophthalmologist at Michigan Medicine. “We were surprised by the magnitude of vision gain in the most severely affected patients who received the adult stem cell-derived RPE transplants. This level of vision gain has not been seen in this group of patients with advanced dry AMD.”
The trial is ongoing,with researchers now monitoring patients who received higher doses of stem cells (150,000 and 250,000 cells) to assess safety and determine optimal dosage for larger-scale human testing.
