What is Ocular Transplantation LLC's mission?

Ocular Transplantation, LLC wants to help blind and vision-impaired people by developing methods and instruments; and by supporting research with the aim to prevent blindness and restore vision.

Retinal Transplantation - A Hope to Restore Vision

After 18 years of research, this research team has now restored or preserved light sensitivity in several animal models with a diseased or damaged retinas. The technical achievement to implant new healthy photoreceptors with their retinal pigment epithelium gives hope, especially for patients with macular degeneration or retinitis pigmentosa that often need both of these cells. This accomplishment has been possible by a patented "Implantation Instrument and Method". The team's basic research has been recognized and supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health and by different foundations.

In 1999, the Food and Drug Administration that supervises clinical trials has given the team an IND number that allows to test this promising procedure in human patients (phase I clinical trials). This IND number is currently the only one in the country of its kind.

The Clinical Importance of Retinal Transplantation

Retinal transplantation research targets macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa. Other diseases that might be helped are Stargardt's disease, familiar drusen, and dystrophy of retinal pigment epithelium after neovascular membrane removal. The causes for these diseases are largely unknown, and there is currently no other treatment available that can reverse the degenerative processes.

This research team can now replace degenerated photoreceptors and retinal pigment epithelium cells, which give hope for restored function. The research group has focused on transplanting sheets of neuroblastic retinal progenitor cells. However, funding is the main factor that slows down the research.

Information

For more information, you can contact the team surgeon Dr. Norman D. Radtke, or the researchers, Drs. Robert Aramant or Magdalene Seiler, via email or at the above phone numbers.