Cell therapy with hiPSC-derived RPE cells and RPCs prevents visual function loss in a rat model of retinal degeneration
Anna Salas, Anna Duarri, Laura Fontrodona, Diana Mora Ramírez, Anna Badia, Helena Isla-Magrané, Bárbara Ferreira-de-Souza, Miguel Ángel Zapata, Ángel Raya, Anna Veiga, José García‐Arumí
Abstract
monitoring showed that grafted cells survived 12 weeks in the subretinal space, and rats treated with RPE + RPC therapy exhibited better conservation of the outer nuclear layer (ONL) and visual response than RPE-treated or RPC-treated rats. Transplanted RPE cells integrated in the host RPE layer, whereas RPC mostly remained in the subretinal space, although a limited number of cells integrated in the ONL. In conclusion, the combined transplantation of hiPSC-derived RPE and RPCs is a potentially superior therapeutic approach to protect retina from degeneration in RDDs.