ReNeuron reports promising data from retinal stem cell therapy program

ReNeuron’s ReN003 human retinal progenitor cells were tested in a rodent model of damaged retina. Between 14 and 28 days after transplantation into the sub-retinal space, the cells were seen to integrate with the host retinal tissue. A sub-population of these integrated cells differentiated into cells exhibiting the characteristics of photoreceptors, expressing the proteins rhodopsin and recoverin, markers for the light-sensitive rod cells found in healthy retina.

These results therefore indicate the potential utility of ReNeuron’s prototype ReN003 cell line as a therapy for blindness-causing diseases characterized by damage to the retina, such as retinitis pigmentosa, age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy.

John Sinden, chief scientific officer of ReNeuron, said: “There is still much work to do before this cell line can be taken into the clinic, but these early pre-clinical results give us the confidence to move the programme in that direction as quickly as possible.”