NIH: New Technique Enhances Quality Control of Lab-Grown Cells for AMD Treatment
Researchers at the National Eye Institute (NEI) say they have improved a crucial step in the production of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) they are testing in a clinical trial as treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Their technique combines electrochemical cell measurements enhanced by mathematical modeling to directly assess epithelial cell membranes and tissue barrier health.
“Our technique, which we call 3-probe electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, or 3 P-EIS, provides additional physiologic parameters that are useful in manufacturing RPE tissues used in cell therapies,” said Colby Lewallen, PhD, a postdoctoral fellow at the NEI. “In addition, 3 P-EIS provides greater resolution data, with respect to epithelial function in drug testing and disease modeling protocols.”