A CAPSULE packed with human eye cells has been turned into a drug factory for treating the inherited eye disease retinitis pigmentosa. Trials on people could start within a year.
Encapsulated cells have long been hailed for their potential to deliver a continuous, local dose of drugs to treat conditions as diverse as Parkinson’s disease and chronic pain. Because the capsule protects the cells from immune attack, the same cell line can be implanted in any patient.
The few trials in the past have been disappointing, admits Weng Tao of biotech company Neurotech of Paris and Boston. But key lessons…
