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Tag: Stem Cell Therapy

  • Gizmodo Science Fair: A Stem Cell Treatment for Severely Damaged Corneas

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    Scientists at Mass Eye and Ear are winners of the 2025 Gizmodo Science Fair for their research and development of an experimental stem cell therapy for severely, and supposedly permanently, injured corneas.

    The question

    Can stem cells help repair previously untreatable eye injuries?

    The results

    In a small trial of 14 patients published this March, the researchers showed it was possible to take stem cells from a person’s healthy eye and use them to safely replenish the surface of their other severely damaged cornea.

    First CALEC patient’s stem cells in culture. © Mass Eye and Ear

    18 months after the procedure, nearly all of the patients continued to show at least a partial response to the treatment and saw their vision improve, while two-thirds experienced a complete restoration of their corneal surface. No severe side effects related to the treatment were reported.

    Why they did it

    When our cornea—the transparent outer layer of the eye—is harmed by injury or infection, doctors often treat it by transplanting healthy corneal tissue from a donor, also known as a corneal graft. But sometimes, an injury is so damaging that it also wipes away the cornea’s limited supply of surface stem cells, also called limbal epithelial cells. Without these cells, people will experience symptoms like itching, pain, whitened corneas, and eventually loss of vision.

    Ge5 8621
    The team. © Mass Eye and Ear

    The team’s approach harvests corneal stem cells from the person’s healthy eye and grows them in the lab. These cultivated autologous limbal epithelial cells (CALEC) are then packaged onto a cellular tissue graft that’s transplanted to the other eye.

    “Corneal stem cell deficiency is really one of the most common causes of blindness worldwide. These stem cells create a healthy corneal epithelial cell layer, and that is compatible with good vision and no pain and just having a comfortable eye when you blink,” project leader Ula Jurkunas, associate director of the Cornea Service at Mass Eye and Ear, told Gizmodo. “And therefore, we developed this kind of stem cell therapy in response to an unmet medical need for stem cell deficiency and corneal blindness.”

    Why they’re a winner

    There is no highly effective treatment for the most severe cases of limbal stem cell deficiency, according to Jurkunas. So CALEC could offer hope to many people who otherwise had no options. And since it uses a person’s own adult stem cells, there’s no worry about the body rejecting the transplant or other ethical considerations commonly brought up with using embryonic stem cells.

    6. After Photo Of Cornea Post Calec
    After photo of cornea post-CALEC. © Mass Eye and Ear

    But more than just that, it’s breaking new ground in the world of stem cell medicine. According to the researchers, this is the first stem cell therapy of its kind in the U.S. to be used in the eye. For decades, scientists have been studying stem cells as a possible treatment for all sorts of irreversible injuries. CALEC and similar therapies could very well become some of the first bona fide examples of this approach working as intended.

    What’s next

    Jurkunas and her team are now in discussion with the Food and Drug Administration regarding CALEC’s approval, which may require additional data from a larger trial conducted across multiple research sites. They’re also in talks with potential commercial partners to license the therapy and help fund further development, including a new trial if needed.

    Outside of that, the team is still working to improve the shelf life and manufacturing of CALEC cells, which will be important to ensuring that the therapy can be shipped over longer distances.

    The team

    Jurkunas first started working on the research that gave rise to CALEC as a junior scientist in 2006, nearly 20 years ago. And while the team may bring on commercial partners for the final leg of development, CALEC’s current journey from the lab bench to the bedside has notably been made without any pharmaceutical funding. It has required the collaboration of many other researchers, however, including the scientists in Japan who initially helped Jurkunas learn how to better grow stem cells in the lab.

    “It’s taken an enormous amount of study research staff. And then there’s the physician collaborators, Reza Dana, Jia Yin, Lynette Johns; they were the main investigators in the [March 2025] study,” Jurkunas said. “And that’s Mass Eye and Ear only. Then we have Boston Children’s Hospital; we have Dana Farber; we have the JAEB Center, which is our [Contract Research Organization] that helped us with data analysis and management and all the things that you have to do to make sure the data is intact.”

    Jurkunas also pointed out that CALEC would have never come to fruition without the federal funding provided by the National Institutes of Health and the National Eye Institute—the same sort of funding that’s now being endangered by the current Trump administration.

    “I want to just remind people that the NIH does support medically transformative therapies that are de novo, they’re new,” she said. “We think of them, we work on them, and we develop them.”

    Click here to see all of the winners of the 2025 Gizmodo Science Fair.

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    Ed Cara

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  • Behind the Recovery: Ryan Kent’s Cutting-Edge Approach to Healing and Longevity Without Surgery

    Behind the Recovery: Ryan Kent’s Cutting-Edge Approach to Healing and Longevity Without Surgery

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    Blending regenerative medicine and a focus on long-term health, Ryan Kent is helping athletes and patients recover faster, avoid invasive procedures, and improve their longevity.


    LISLE, Ill., October 17, 2024 (Newswire.com)
    –
    In a world where surgery often feels like the only solution for serious injuries or chronic pain, Ryan Kent, Full-Practice Authority Nurse Practitioner at Defiant Health Spa, is quietly changing the rules. Using cutting-edge techniques like PRP (Platelet Rich Plasma) injections, stem cells, and peptides, Kent is helping the body heal itself from within. His approach is becoming a crucial alternative for athletes and patients who thought surgery was their only option.

    Kent isn’t in it for fame, but his work speaks for itself. Whether helping athletes make a comeback or guiding patients away from the operating table, he’s redefining what’s possible in modern medicine.

    A High School Quarterback’s Return to the Field

    In October, a small-town high school quarterback—poised to impress college scouts—took a brutal hit that shattered his throwing wrist. Torn ligaments and severe damage left his football future hanging by a thread. Although doctors repaired the damage, the recovery was projected to take at least a year—long enough to jeopardize his senior season and college prospects.

    That’s when Kent stepped in. Working with the quarterback’s medical team, he created a post-surgical regenerative plan that leveraged PRP injections to flood the wrist with growth factors, stem cells to regenerate damaged tissues, and peptides to reduce inflammation and speed up healing.

    In just three months, the quarterback regained full motion. By the fourth month, he was back on the practice field, and by the sixth month, he was fully cleared to play—stronger than ever. Kent’s approach wasn’t just about recovery; it was about saving a career.

    A Golfer’s Return to Form

    For a scratch golfer in his 40s, life revolved around the game—until chronic tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow made it impossible to play. Every swing became agonizing, and even daily activities were a struggle. Surgery seemed inevitable.

    Kent offered an advanced, non-surgical solution: ultrasound-guided PRP injections, mesenchymal stem cells from the golfer’s own bone marrow to regenerate tissue, and BPC-157, a peptide known for tendon repair. Over several months, the golfer saw real progress. “By the third treatment, I was back to light chipping,” he says. By the fifth month, he was swinging pain-free.

    Kent explains, “Our goal isn’t just temporary relief; it’s to rebuild the body from the inside out.” The golfer credits Kent with restoring not only his game but his confidence.

    Changing the Landscape of Medicine

    Kent’s methods are gaining traction not only in athletics but among patients looking to avoid surgery and pharmaceutical dependence. In a system where chronic pain is often treated with invasive procedures or addictive medications, Kent offers a more sustainable solution.

    By treating the root causes of pain, rather than just masking symptoms, his approach challenges the “quick fix” mentality that often leads to repeated surgeries or long-term reliance on drugs. His treatments prioritize the body’s natural ability to heal itself, offering a path to lasting recovery and well-being.

    “We’re here to restore function and health naturally, without sending patients toward the operating table or a lifetime of pharmaceuticals,” Kent says.

    The Future of Healing

    Kent’s work is reshaping how we think about recovery and rehabilitation. With a focus on personalized, minimally invasive treatments, he’s helping athletes and everyday patients alike avoid surgery and regain their quality of life.

    “We’re just scratching the surface of what’s possible when we work with the body’s natural processes,” Kent explains. Whether saving careers or improving daily lives, he’s leading the charge toward a more thoughtful, sustainable approach to healing.

    Source: Defiant Health

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