Eyestem to Start Human Trials for its Pioneering Dry AMD Treatment

National, (Date) - Eyestem, a cell therapy company at the forefront of regenerative therapy, has received approval from India’s Central Drugs Standards Control Organisation (CDSCO) to commence human trials for Eyecyte RPE™, aimed at combating geographic atrophy arising from dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The commencement of human trials of represents a significant and proud moment for all of us at Eyestem," stated Dr Jogin Desai, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Eyestem. "Being a purpose-driven company, our commitment is to ensure that Eyecyte RPE™ reaches a much larger patient base than most cell and gene therapies worldwide. Our cell therapy platform has the ability to create products of the highest quality at scale and we look forward to validating this hypothesis with our flagship product”. added Dr. Desai. “I am absolutely delighted at Eyestem receiving approval to conduct clinical trials in India for Eyecyte RPE™. The management team’s deep commitment to their purpose and their thoughtful execution has enabled them to produce a product of the highest quality which has the potential to create great impact for India and the world. says Nitin Deshmukh, Kotak Alternative Investments. “We are proud of being associated with Eyestem as one of its earliest backers and look forward to them disrupting this sector. The next wave in biotech will be driven by frugal innovation and companies like Eyestem will lead the way” Adds Gert Hoogland, Managing Partner, Jacesa Investments. Dry AMD, a leading cause of vision loss in the ageing population of people over 50, has long been a challenge due to the limited availability of effective treatments and the high costs associated with emerging therapeutic options. However, Eyestem’s Eyecyte RPE™ therapy, which aims to replace lost or damaged Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE) cells, represents a transformational shift in aiming to tackle the disease. It aims to preserve and potentially improve sight for patients in the early stages of dry AMD and arrest vision loss for those in the later stages. “It is not every day that one can be associated with a true innovation that goes form bench to bedside. Today is a momentous day for us as we take the first iPSC-derived cell therapy solution from India onwards into the clinic “added Dr. Rajarshi Pal, Chief Scientist, Eyestem. “There is no treatment for GA secondary to Dry AMD anywhere in the world which can offer the potential of improvement in vision. I am hopeful that we will be able demonstrate safety/efficacy for our product and eventually bring succour to millions of patients in India and abroad” added Dr. Rajani Battu, Chief Medical Officer, Eyestem About Eyecyte-RPE™ Eyecyte-RPE™ is a patented suspension of iPSC-derived fate-committed retinal pigment epithelium cells, which are highly potent, safe, and efficacious in in vitro and in vivo studies. The cells are derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, are allogeneic in nature, and can be stored for long periods of time. About Eyestem Research Headquartered in Bangalore and Delaware, Eyestem Research is a clinical-stage biotechnology company, which was started by a founding team with several decades of experience in pharmaceutical product development, retinal surgery, and cell biology. It has won significant accolades with the most recent one being named the top innovator in India across all sectors in 2022 by the prestigious Economic Times newspaper. It is also the recipient of several prestigious grants from the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India, and has been feted at high-profile government functions as one of the most successful startups in the country. In addition to being backed by global investors in Switzerland and South Africa, Eyestem Research is backed by two of the most prestigious venture capital firms in the country – Kotak Investment Advisors and Endiya Partners. Its most recent fundraise was backed by a consortium of three multi-billion–dollar Indian pharmaceutical companies – Alkem Laboratories, NATCO, and Biological E. Read the News

The release as fetched from its publisher. eyestem.com ↗