Findings could improve long-term outcomes for patients

Results from a Mass Eye and Ear-led phase 1/2 clinical trial of a novel stem cell treatment for cornea injuries found 14 patients treated and tracked for 18 months had a more than 90% success rate at restoring the cornea's surface and improvements in vision. The procedure, called CALEC (cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cells) involves taking stem cells from a healthy eye, expanding it into a graft over several weeks, then transplanting it into a patient's damaged eye. The groundbreaking procedure was developed to help people with injuries like chemical burns that lead to irreversible limbal stem cell deficiency, and the researchers hope the new findings warrant additional trials.