ARVO 2025: Dr. Jogin Desai provides Phase 2 updates from a first-in-human RPE cell suspension trial

At the Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO) annual meeting, the Eye Care Network caught up with Jogin Desai. Dr. Desai is the founder of Eyestem Research, a biotechnology company developing scalable cell replacement therapies, based in Karnataka, India.

"We have a first-in-human trial ongoing for [retinal pigment epithelium, RPE] cell suspension for geographic atrophy," Dr. Desai described. He shared research findings from the phase 1/2a clinical trial of allogeneic RPE cells, including interim safety and efficacy results. "Nine patients have been dosed so far, six of which we have data for, and we've noted an average 15 letter improvement in the visual acuity. We've seen structural changes that are starting at around the 3-month cycle." As more patients are being dosed, longer-term results will also be recorded and reported, he said.

"We'll start our phase 2 in India in July, and we look to start our phase 2 in the US sometime by first half of next year," he added. Watch the video to hear more preliminary findings from the trial.