Dataset Information

Intravitreal use of bone marrow mononuclear fraction containing CD34+ stem cells in patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration.

ABSTRACT: PURPOSE:To evaluate the therapeutic potential and safety of intravitreal injections of bone marrow mononuclear fraction (BMMF) containing CD34+ cells in patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS:Ten patients with atrophic AMD and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the worse-seeing eye of ?20/100 were enrolled in this study. The bone marrow from all patients was aspirated and processed for mononuclear cell separation. A 0.1 mL suspension of BMMF CD34+ cells was injected into the vitreous cavity of the worse-seeing eye. Patients were evaluated at Baseline and 1,3,6,9 and 12 months after injection. Ophthalmic evaluation included BCVA measurement, microperimetry, infrared imaging, fundus autofluorescence and SD-optical coherence tomography at all study visits. Fluorescein angiography was performed at Baseline and at 6 and 12 months after intravitreal therapy. RESULTS:All patients completed the 6-month follow-up, and six completed the 12-month follow-up. Prior to the injection, mean BCVA was 1.18 logMAR (20/320-1), ranging from 20/125 to 20/640-2, and improved significantly at every follow-up visit, including the 12-month one, when BCVA was 1.0 logMAR (20/200) (P<0.05). Mean sensitivity threshold also improved significantly at 6, 9 and 12 months after treatment (P<0.05). Considering the area of atrophy identified by fundus autofluorescence, significant mean BCVA and mean sensitivity threshold improvement were observed in patients with the smallest areas of atrophy. Fluorescein angiography did not identify choroidal new vessels or tumor growth. CONCLUSION:The use of intravitreal BMMF injections in patients with AMD is safe and is associated with significant improvement in BCVA and macular sensitivity threshold. Patients with small areas of atrophy have a better response. The paracrine effect of CD34+ cells may explain the functional improvement observed; however, larger series of patients are necessary to confirm these preliminary findings.

SUBMITTER: Cotrim CC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5449098 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Intravitreal use of bone marrow mononuclear fraction containing CD34<sup>+</sup> stem cells in patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration.

Cotrim Carina Costa CC Toscano Luiza L Messias André A Jorge Rodrigo R Siqueira Rubens Camargo RC

Clinical ophthalmology (Auckland, N.Z.) 20170519

<h4>Purpose</h4>To evaluate the therapeutic potential and safety of intravitreal injections of bone marrow mononuclear fraction (BMMF) containing CD34<sup>+</sup> cells in patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD).<h4>Methods</h4>Ten patients with atrophic AMD and best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) in the worse-seeing eye of ≤20/100 were enrolled in this study. The bone marrow from all patients was aspirated and processed for mononuclear cell separation. A 0.1 mL suspension ...[more]

PMID: 28579742

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Project description:To assess the therapeutic potential and the safety of intravitreous use of a bone marrow mononuclear fraction (BMMF) containing CD34+ cells in patients with Stargardt type macular dystrophy. The study was conducted on 10 patients with Stargardt dystrophy with worse eye?visual?acuity ? 20/125. A bone marrow aspirate was obtained from all patients, and after processing in the cell therapy center (CTC), 0.1?ml of the intravitreous BMMF suspension was injected into the eye with worse visual acuity. A sham injection was performed in the contralateral eye. The patients were evaluated at baseline and one, three, and six months after the injection. All of them were submitted to measurement of best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), microperimetry, multifocal electroretinography (mfERG) and full field electroretinography (ffERG), autofluorescence (AF), and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Fluorescein angiography was also performed before and six months after the injection. All patients completed the six-month period of evaluation. Mean visual acuity of the treated eye was 1.1 logMAR (20/250) before intravitreous (IV) injection, 0.96 logMAR (20/200+2) one month after injection, and 0.92 logMAR (20/160-1) 3 months after injection. In the untreated eye, mean VA was 1.0 logMAR (20/200) at baseline and 0.96 logMAR (20/200+2) and 0.94 logMAR (20/160-2) one and three months after injection, respectively. In the treated group, VA at baseline ranged from best acuity of 20/125-1 to worst acuity of 20/640+2, going through 20/100+2 and 20/400 during the first month. In the untreated group, BCVA ranged from 20/100+2 to 20/400 at baseline and from 20/100 to 20/400 after one month. The results for the treated group differed significantly at all follow-up times, whereas no significant difference was observed in the untreated group. Regarding the mean sensitivity of microperimetry, although there was improvement throughout all months, a significant difference occurred only during the first month. In the untreated eye, there was no significant difference in any analysis. Angiofluoresceinography did not reveal neovessel formation or tumor growth. The remaining exams were used in order to aid the diagnosis. The results indicate that the use of intravitreous BMMF in patients with Stargardt dystrophy is safe and is associated with a discrete improvement of BCVA and microperimetry in the treated eye compared to the untreated one.

Project description:Human CD34 + stem cells are mobilized from bone marrow to sites of tissue ischemia and play an important role in tissue revascularization. This study used a murine model to test the hypothesis that intravitreal injection of human CD34 + stem cells harvested from bone marrow (BMSCs) can have protective effects in eyes with diabetic retinopathy. Streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice (C57BL/6J) were used as a model for diabetic retinopathy. Subcutaneous implantation of Alzet pump, loaded with Tacrolimus and Rapamycin, 5 days prior to intravitreal injection provided continuous systemic immunosuppression for the study duration to avoid rejection of human cells. Human CD34 + BMSCs were harvested from the mononuclear cell fraction of bone marrow from a healthy donor using magnetic beads. The CD34 + cells were labeled with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) using a lentiviral vector. The right eye of each mouse received an intravitreal injection of 50,000 EGFP-labeled CD34 + BMSCs or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Simultaneous multimodal in vivo retinal imaging system consisting of fluorescent scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (enabling fluorescein angiography), optical coherence tomography (OCT) and OCT angiography was used to confirm the development of diabetic retinopathy and study the in vivo migration of the EGFP-labeled CD34 + BMSCs in the vitreous and retina following intravitreal injection. After imaging, the mice were euthanized, and the eyes were removed for immunohistochemistry. In addition, microarray analysis of the retina and retinal flat mount analysis of retinal vasculature were performed. The development of retinal microvascular changes consistent with diabetic retinopathy was visualized using fluorescein angiography and OCT angiography between 5 and 6 months after induction of diabetes in all diabetic mice. These retinal microvascular changes include areas of capillary nonperfusion and late leakage of fluorescein dye. Multimodal in vivo imaging and immunohistochemistry identified EGFP-labeled cells in the superficial retina and along retinal vasculature at 1 and 4 weeks following intravitreal cell injection. Microarray analysis showed changes in expression of 162 murine retinal genes following intravitreal CD34 + BMSC injection when compared to PBS-injected control. The major molecular pathways affected by intravitreal CD34 + BMSC injection in the murine retina included pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic retinopathy including Toll-like receptor, MAP kinase, oxidative stress, cellular development, assembly and organization pathways. At 4 weeks following intravitreal injection, retinal flat mount analysis showed preservation of the retinal vasculature in eyes injected with CD34 + BMSCs when compared to PBS-injected control. The study findings support the hypothesis that intravitreal injection of human CD34 + BMSCs results in retinal homing and integration of these human cells with preservation of the retinal vasculature in murine eyes with diabetic retinopathy.

Project description:PurposeLoss of photoreceptors in atrophic age-related macular degeneration results in severe visual impairment, although some peripheral vision is retained. To restore central vision without compromising the residual peripheral field, we developed a wireless photovoltaic retinal implant (PRIMA; Pixium Vision, Paris, France) in which pixels convert images projected from video glasses using near-infrared light into electric current to stimulate the nearby inner retinal neurons.DesignWe carried out a first-in-human clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of the prosthesis in patients with geographic atrophy (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier, NCT03333954).ParticipantsFive patients with geographic atrophy zone of at least 3 optic disc diameters, no foveal light perception, and best-corrected visual acuity of 20/400 to 20/1000 in the worse-seeing study eye.MethodsThe 2-mm wide, 30-μm thick chip, containing 378 pixels (each 100 μm in diameter), was implanted subretinally in the area of atrophy (absolute scotoma).Main outcome measuresAnatomic outcomes were assessed with fundus photography and OCT for up to 12 months of follow-up. Prosthetic vision was assessed by mapping light perception, bar orientation, letter recognition, and Landolt C acuity.ResultsIn all patients, the prosthesis was implanted successfully under the macula, although in 2 patients, it was implanted in unintended locations: within the choroid and off center by 2 mm. All 5 patients could perceive white-yellow prosthetic visual patterns with adjustable brightness in the previous scotomata. The 3 with optimal placement of the implant demonstrated prosthetic acuity of 20/460 to 20/550, and the patient with the off-center implant demonstrated 20/800 acuity. Residual natural acuity did not decrease after implantation in any patient.ConclusionsImplantation of the PRIMA did not decrease the residual natural acuity, and it restored visual sensitivity in the former scotoma in each of the 5 patients. In 3 patients with the proper placement of the chip, prosthetic visual acuity was only 10% to 30% less than the level expected from the pixel pitch (20/420). Therefore, the use of optical or electronic magnification in the glasses as well as smaller pixels in future implants may improve visual acuity even further.

Project description:BackgroundDiabetic retinopathy is a retinal vasculopathy involving all three retinal capillary plexus layers. Since human CD34+ bone marrow stem cells (BMSCs) have the potential to promote revascularization of ischemic tissue, this study tests the hypothesis that intravitreal injection of human CD34+ BMSCs can have protective effects on all layers of the retinal vasculature in eyes with diabetic retinopathy.MethodsStreptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice were injected intravitreally with 50,000 human CD34+ BMSCs or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) into the right eye. Systemic immunosuppression with rapamycin and tacrolimus was started 5 days before the injection and maintained for study duration to prevent rejection of human cells. All mice were euthanized 4 weeks after intravitreal injection; both eyes were enucleated for retinal flat mount immunohistochemistry. The retinal vasculature was stained with Isolectin-GS-IB4. Confocal microscopy was used to image four circular areas of interest of retina, 1-mm diameter around the optic disc. Images of superficial, intermediate, and deep retinal capillary plexus layers within the areas of interest were obtained and analyzed using ImageJ software with the Vessel Analysis plugin to quantitate the retinal vascular density and vascular length density in the three plexus layers.ResultsThree distinct retinal capillary plexus layers were visualized and imaged using confocal microscopy. Eyes that received intravitreal injection of CD34+ BMSCs (N=9) had significantly higher vascular density and vascular length density in the superficial retinal capillary plexus when compared to the untreated contralateral eyes (N=9) or PBS treated control eyes (N=12; P values <0.05 using ANOVA followed by post-hoc tests). For the intermediate and deep plexus layers, the difference was not statistically significant.ConclusionsThe protective effect of intravitreal injection of the human CD34+ BMSCs on the superficial retinal capillary plexus layers is demonstrated using confocal microscopy in this murine model of diabetic retinopathy.

Project description:Atrophic age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common form of AMD accounting for 90% of patients. During atrophic AMD the waste/exchange pathway between the blood supply (choroid) and the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is compromised. This results in atrophy and death of the RPE cells and subsequently the photoreceptors leading to central blindness. Although the mechanisms behind AMD are unknown, the growth of fatty deposits known as drusen, have been shown to play a role in the disease. There is currently no treatment or cure for atrophic AMD. Much research focuses on developing a synthetic substrate in order to transplant healthy cells to the native Bruch's membrane (BM), however, the diseased native BM and related structures still leave potential for transplanted cells to succumb to disease. In this proof-of-concept work we electrospun poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) to fabricate a nanofibrous cytocompatible synthetic BM. The apical surface of the membrane was cultured with ARPE-19 cells and the underside was decorated with poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) or poly(glycolic acid) (PGA) degradable nanoparticles by electrospraying. The membrane exhibited hydrophilicity, high tensile strength and structurally resembled the native BM. ARPE-19 cells were able to form a monolayer on the surface of the membrane and no cell invasion into the membrane was seen. The presence of both PLGA and PGA nanoparticles increased ARPE-19 cell metabolism but had no effect on cell viability. There was a decrease in pH of ARPE-19 cell culture media 7 days following culturing with the PLGA nanoparticles but this change was eliminated by 2 weeks; PGA nanoparticles had no effect on cell culture media pH. The fluorescent dye FITC was encapsulated into nanoparticles and showed sustained release from PLGA nanoparticles for 2 weeks and PGA nanoparticles for 1 day. Future work will focus on encapsulating biologically active moieties to target drusen. This could allow this novel bioactive substrate to be a potential treatment for atrophic AMD that would function two-fold: deliver the required monolayer of healthy RPE cells to the macula on a synthetic BM and remove diseased structures within the retina, restoring the waste/exchange pathway and preventing vision loss.

Dataset Information

Intravitreal use of bone marrow mononuclear fraction containing CD34+ stem cells in patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration.

Publications

Intravitreal use of bone marrow mononuclear fraction containing CD34<sup>+</sup> stem cells in patients with atrophic age-related macular degeneration.

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