Prof Shigeru Kinoshita

Corneal cells propagated in vitro can be injected into the cornea to restore vision to patients blinded by corneal endothelial disease, reported Aurion Biotech.

Developed by a team led by Professor Shigeru Kinoshita from Kyoto Prefecture University of Medicine, Aurion’s Iota trial demonstrated that endothelial cells from one donor can treat 100 eyes, said Aurion, adding that the procedure is less complex than DSEK or DSAEK and patient recovery takes just a few hours. “This is a landmark moment for the treatment of corneal endothelial disease,” said Dr Edward Holland, Aurion’s chief medical advisor. “In Iota part one, we were able to treat 16 patients from a single donor. In Iota part two, we treated 34 patients from a single donor… (and) we confirmed this procedure is accessible for surgeons and minimally invasive for patients.”