Low-Cost OCT Retinal Scanner Could Help Prevent Blindness Worldwide

(c) Duke University

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have developed a low-cost, portable optical coherence tomography (OCT) scanner that promises to bring the vision-saving technology to underserved regions throughout the United States and abroad.

Thanks to a redesigned, 3D-printed spectrometer, the scanner is 15 times lighter and smaller than current commercial systems and is made from parts costing less than a tenth the retail price of commercial systems—all without sacrificing imaging quality.

A US Court Asks Stem Cell Clinics to Stop Manufacturing and Marketing Products without Regulatory approval

(c) The Atlantic

U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro of the Southern District of Florida has issued an order that stops US Stem Cell Clinic LLC, of Weston, Florida, and US Stem Cell Inc., of Sunrise, Florida, and their Chief Scientific Officer Kristin Comella, Ph.D., from manufacturing or distributing any and all stromal vascular fraction (SVF) products, which are adipose (fat) tissue derived stem cell products, until they come into compliance with the law.

Immune system may slow degenerative eye disease

A new study shows that the complement system, part of the innate immune system, plays a protective role to slow retinal degeneration in a mouse model of retinitis pigmentosa, an inherited eye disease. This surprising discovery contradicts previous studies of other eye diseases suggesting that the complement system worsens retinal degeneration. 

The research was performed by scientists at the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and appears in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

Neovascular AMD: Bevacizumab Injection Increases Angiogenic Biomarkers

Dr. Thiago Cabral

Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is induced by the development of new abnormal ‘leaky’ blood vessels in the choroid and retina, when the balance of pro- and anti-angiogenic factors is upset. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is considered a critical modulator of angiogenesis and is related to induction of endothelial cell migration and proliferation after hypoxia. The development of anti-VEGF agents, such as bevacizumab (Avastin®), ranibizumab (Lucentis®) and aflibercept (Eylea®), revolutionized the treatment of nAMD.

Significant Visual Improvement Reported in Patients with Retinitis Pigmentosa in a cell therapy clinical trial

(c) ReNeuron

ReNeuron Group plc, a UK-based company focused on development of cell-based therapeutics, has announced encouraging results from an early stage trial of its cell therapy for retinitis pigmentosa (RP), which, if approved, could be a competitor to Spark/Novartis’s Luxturna (voretigene neparvovec). Unlike the already-approved gene therapy Luxturna, ReNeuron’s cell-based therapy would not be limited to patients with a disease caused by a certain mutation.