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Aim of the project

The London Project to Cure Blindness is a 5 year research project that aims to develop a surgical cell therapy for Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), which will prevent blindness, restore sight and improve sufferers’ quality of life by 2012.

Our approach is to replace the cells at the back of the eye that are affected in AMD, the retinal pigment epithelium cells (RPE), using human embryonic stem cells (hES) that have been transformed into RPE cells.  These RPE cells will then be transplanted into the patient on a specially engineered patch that will be inserted behind the retina. 

Another important arm of the project is to develop the technology by which hES cells can be transformed into photoreceptors (primarily cones and rods) and transplanted into patients.  It is believed that the photoreceptors are lost after the RPE have degenerated.  The clinical application of this component of the project is for cases where the disease has been present for a number of years.

Funding sources

The project came into existence in June 2007 following a major philanthropic donation.  The Macular Disease Society then made The London Project the focus of their annual appeal which resulted in a donation of £100k at an extremely critical stage.  Mid-2008, the US-based Lincy Foundation also went on to make a substantial donation.  Most recently, the project appeared on the front page of the Sunday Times after an agreement was announced with the number one pharmaceutical company, Pfizer. The agreement is the first of its kind for an embryonic stem cell therapy and is believed to mark a new stage in the evolution of this technology and its clinical application.  Prof Pete Coffey said “this important partnership will help to drive the science forward and ensure that the cells can be manufactured to the standards that required for clinical trials”.  Pfizer’s expertise in clinical trials and extensive experience in obtaining approval from regulators will also prove to be invaluable to the success of the project.

Furthermore, we are delighted to have received hundreds of extremely generous donations from members of the public who have either read about the project, are sufferers themselves or have a member of the family who is affected by this disease.  The public support and general level of enthusiasm shown for the project has been truly outstanding and we have been delighted to hear from many sufferers who have shared their stories and expressed their thanks for the glimmer of hope that the project has given them.

Research we have conducted to date

A programme of proof-of-concept clinical trials were conducted in 2007 - 2008 using RPE cells from the patient’s own eye via two methods; autologous transplantation and macular translocation.  These trials enabled the project team to demonstrate that placing “healthy” RPE cells under the damaged area of the macular can prevent blindness and restore sight.  However, the complexity of the surgery and complications associated with having two lengthy operations did not allow for this to be a viable treatment for the number of AMD patients which would need to be treated.

Therefore, the team began to look into the possibility of using stem cell technology to replace the diseased cells in AMD.  First, we investigated the use of adult stem cells but results showed that they lacked a number of components required to produce healthy RPE cells.  As a result we had to look for an alternative source of cells.  Hence, hES cells were considered and it was found that, given the right conditions, hES could be transformed into healthy, fully functioning RPE cells.  As a prelude to clinical trials we have been able to successfully demonstrate that visual function can be restored in an animal model of AMD. 

This new technology makes it possible for surgery to be performed on an outpatient basis with the operation itself taking approximately 45 minutes in total.  Plus, the quality of the cells is highly superior to those taken from the aged, diseased eye.

Human clinical trials

[updated 10th Feb 2010]

We have now moved into the stage of the project where we are ready to initiate the safety studies necessary prior to clinical trials.  Hence, we are on track to commence human clinical trials during, we hope, the first quarter of 2011.  However, it is important to stress that the exact launch date of the trials is very much in the hands of the UK regulatory bodies, provided that they are fully satisfied with the safety study data that we are scheduled to submit at the end of 2010.  Considering that these will be the first human embryonic stem cell trials in man in the UK, the project really will be breaking new ground. 

Recent developments have revealed that there will be strict criteria for patient inclusion in the initial trials and that they will not be open to volunteers.  There is no list on which patients can record their interest in trials.  Once the initial trials are approved by the regulatory bodies they will take place at Moorfields Eye Hospital from where patients will be organised. 

Please note:  the 2011 initial clinical trials are NOT open to volunteers and there is NO LIST on which patients can record their interest in trials.