Submacular integration of hESC-RPE monolayer xenografts in a surgical non-human primate model

This surgical xenotransplantation study addressed logistical, surgical, and immunosuppression-related issues in cell therapy. Biolaminin 521 -coated transplant sheets with live stem-cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells were transported from the manufacturing site (Finland) to the transplantation site (Singapore), taking more than 30 hours, without any alterations in cell quality. Laminin-521 was also part of the clinically compliant differentiation protocol from embryonic stem cells to RPE cells. The process overall resulted in functional submacular xenograft integrations.