The main aim of the study is to determine the safety and feasibility of a cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cell (CALEC) transplantation in the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency.
This is an open label, single center study to assess safety, feasibility, and efficacy of Cultivated Autologous Limbal Epithelial Cell (CALEC) grafts in 17 patients with unilateral limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). Participants will have a corneal biopsy in their non-diseased eye, which will provide cells for the creation of the CALEC graft. The CALEC will be made at the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Laboratory, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and transported to Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary for application to the participant's diseased eye during their standard corneal reconstruction procedure. Subjects will be monitored up to month 18 post-transplant to assess for any delayed adverse events of the product (CALEC) or procedure as well as assessment of the durability of the transplant.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
23
Cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cell (CALEC) therapy utilizes a bio-engineered composite of ex vivo expanded autologous corneal epithelial cells and an FDA-approved amniotic membrane (AmnioGraft®, Bio-Tissue, Inc.) to reconstruct the ocular surface. A small biopsy (2-3 mm2) from the patient's contralateral eye serves as a source epithelial (stem) cells that are expanded on the amniotic membrane in culture and the resulting product is surgically transplanted onto the cornea after excision of the fibrovascular pannus.
A graft is manufactured for transplant
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Primary Safety Events of Interest
The occurrence of the following adverse events at any time during the 18 months of follow-up in the recipient eye will serve as the primary safety events of interest. 1. Ocular Infection (defined as endophthalmitis or microbial keratitis \[bacterial, fungal, parasitic\]: 2. Corneal Perforation 3. Graft Detachment ≥50%
Time frame: 18 Months
Manufacturing Feasibility Measures
Each biopsy attempt will be classified as a "feasibility success" if it produced at least one construct that met all of the Quality Control (QC) release criteria. Manufacturing feasibility will be evaluate on a biopsy level (denominator is the total number of biopsies).The number and percentage of biopsy attempts resulting in a feasibility success will be calculated.
Time frame: 18 Months
Measure of Transplant Efficacy
The primary efficacy outcome will be a binary "Complete Success" of the graft defined as improvement in corneal surface integrity
Time frame: 18 Months
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Limbal epithelial cells are obtained from the healthy fellow eye and cultivated in a lab for later transplantation into the diseased eye.