A team of Korean scientists has published the results of preliminary tests on four patients suffering from macular degeneration. This clinical trial was carried out using human embryo stem cells. It is based on collaborative work between CHA University (Korea) and Robert Lanza’s team at Ocata Therapeutics[1] (United States).
Identical results were obtained in the United States in October 2014 in 18 patients. However, contrary to the results recorded last October, these new results have to be qualified. In fact, the preliminary tests have only proven that the treatment is non-toxic – there is no information about its efficacy. On the other hand, given the small number of patients tested, no conclusions can be drawn about treatment reproducibility.
[1] From November 2015, Ocata Therapeutics is the new name for Advanced Cell Technology (ACT).
Nature (Heidi Ledford) 30/04/2015 – Medical Xpress 30/04/2015