Ocata Therapeutics Inc fka OCAT

[rocky301]

Principal Investigator: Steven Schwartz, MD Jules Stein Eye Institute is involved recently with this trial also involving a Biological intervention. Not Yet Recruiting.

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01327911?term=Neurotech&rank=6

About NT-501

NT-501 is one of Neurotech's lead product candidates under development and consists of encapsulated human cells genetically modified to secrete ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF). CNTF is a nerve growth factor capable of rescuing dying photoreceptors and protecting them from degeneration. NT-501 is designed to continually deliver a therapeutic dose of CNTF into the back of the eye in a controlled, continuous basis by means of the Company's proprietary Encapsulated Cell Therapy (ECT) platform. Delivery via ECT bypasses the blood-retinal barrier and overcomes a major obstacle in the long-term treatment of retinal disease.

About Encapsulated Cell Therapy

Neurotech's core technology platform is Encapsulated Cell Therapy (ECT), a unique technology that allows for the long-term, sustained delivery of therapeutic factors to the back of the eye. ECT implants consist of human cells that have been genetically modified to produce a specific therapeutic protein and encapsulated in a semi-permeable hollow fiber membrane. The diffusive characteristics of the hollow fiber membrane are designed to promote long-term cell survival by allowing the influx of oxygen and nutrients while simultaneously preventing direct contact of the encapsulated cells with the cellular and molecular elements of the immune system. The cells continuously produce the therapeutic protein which diffuses out of the implant at the target site. ECT enables the controlled, continuous delivery of therapeutic factors directly to the retina, thereby bypassing the blood-retina barrier.
http://www.drugs.com/clinical_trials/neurotech-s-nt-501-implant-slows-vision-loss-patients-geographic-atrophy-associated-dry-amd-11477.html