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Retina Transplant Success: 10 Years Safe, Vision Restored
6 Dec, 2025
Summary
- World's first retina cell transplant from iPS cells shows no abnormalities.
- Patient, a woman in her 70s, received the transplant in September 2014.
- Cells integrated successfully, showing no rejection or abnormal growth over 10 years.
A decade after the world's first transplant of retina cells derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), Japanese researchers have reported no abnormalities, including cancer. This landmark clinical test was conducted in September 2014 at Kobe City Eye Hospital and the Riken research institute.
The procedure involved transplanting retinal pigment epithelial cells, created from iPS cells, into a woman in her 70s suffering from wet age-related macular degeneration. This significant development underscores the long-term safety and efficacy of such regenerative therapies.
After ten years, the transplanted cells remain integrated within the patient's eye tissue without any signs of rejection or abnormal growth. The research team's findings bolster confidence in iPS cell treatments, paving the way for future transplants using donor-derived iPS cells.
