CALEC (Vision Return Technology)

2023: Beginning to Return Vision to People with Stem Cells

On August 18, 2023, American researchers from the specialized clinic Mass Eye and Ear announced the development of a new technology that allows the return of vision using transplants based on limbal stem cells.

We are talking about the treatment of injuries associated with damage to the cornea - for example, as a result of burns. Traditionally, in such cases, transplantation is carried out using a donor cornea. However, this method is not always suitable: for example, in the event of a severe chemical burn of the eye, the surrounding tissue may be too badly damaged, which does not allow you to perform the usual procedure. The new method allows you to bypass existing restrictions.

A technology has been developed that allows the return of vision using transplants based on limbal stem cells

The proposed method is called "transplantation of cultured autologous limbal epithelial cells" (CALEC). Its essence lies in the collection of stem cells from a healthy patient's eye and their cultivation in laboratory conditions. After a few weeks, the resulting transplant can be transplanted into the damaged eye. Moreover, such a transplant, as the project participants say, not only improves vision, but also stimulates the growth of new cells, which further strengthens the positive effect.

Of the five patients who took part in the study, two noted significant improvement in vision without any additional therapeutic interventions. One patient failed the transplant because his stem cells did not show the required growth in the lab.

The results we obtained show that the CALEC technique can give hope to those patients who are left with incurable vision loss as a result of serious corneal injuries, said lead author of the study, Ula Jurkunas, MD[1]

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