Written from the studies on PubMed, searched on 11 Nov 2026. Every number below comes from a study listed under Sources.
What people read
Posts online say that stem cell treatment helps with macular degeneration.
What has been studied
- 6In people
- 15In animals
- 16Only in the lab
What the studies found
Stem cell treatment has been studied in people with macular degeneration, but not in randomised trials.
We found 116 published papers on stem cell treatment and macular degeneration. They were published between 2004 and 2026.
6 of them are studies in people (0 randomised trials), 64 are reviews, 15 are studies in animals and 16 are studies only in the lab.
The most important ones are listed under Sources.
What this means for you: A study in people is not proof that it helps you. Do not stop or change your medicines because of it. Ask your doctor before you start taking it.
Sources
- Safety and tolerability of RPESC-RPE transplantation in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration: Low-dose clinical outcomes.2025 · Cell Stem Cell · Study in people
- Transplant of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium Strips for Macular Degeneration and Retinitis Pigmentosa.2025 · Ophthalmol Sci · Study in people
- Long-term Follow-up of a Phase 1/2a Clinical Trial of a Stem Cell-Derived Bioengineered Retinal Pigment Epithelium Implant for Geographic Atrophy.2024 · Ophthalmology · Study in people
- A bioengineered retinal pigment epithelial monolayer for advanced, dry age-related macular degeneration.2018 · Sci Transl Med · Study in people
- Phase 1 clinical study of an embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium patch in age-related macular degeneration.2018 · Nat Biotechnol · Study in people
- Human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium in patients with age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt's macular dystrophy: follow-up of two open-label phase 1/2 studies.2015 · Lancet · Study in people
- The Biology and Cell Engineering of Retinal Pigment Epithelium Cell Transplantation: Developing a Living Drug.2026 · Annu Rev Vis Sci · Review
- Retinal Pigment Epithelium and Microglia Transplantation in Age-related Macular Degeneration.2026 · Am J Ophthalmol · Review
- Advances in retinal pigment epithelium transplantation for age-related macular degeneration: bridging biology to therapeutic frontiers.2026 · Stem Cell Res Ther · Review
- The Programme for Manufacture of hPSC‑Based Products for AMD and PD.2025 · Adv Exp Med Biol · Review
- NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE PATHOGENESIS AND TREATMENT ADVANCES OF AGE - RELATED MACULAR DEGENERATION.2025 · Georgian Med News · Review
- Advances in Stem Cell Therapies for Ocular Diseases: Progress in Clinical Trials and Future Perspectives.2025 · Stem Cell Rev Rep · Review
- Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Ameliorate NaIO3-Induced Dry AMD by Delivering miR-486-3p to Inhibit Lipocalin-2-Mediated Ferroptosis.2026 · MedComm (2020) · In animals
- An improved formulation of human neural stem cells for the treatment of geographic atrophy.2026 · PLoS One · In animals
- IND-enabling safety and efficacy of RPESC-RPE-4W, an adult RPE progenitor cell therapy for dry age-related macular degeneration.2026 · Cell Rep Med · In animals
- Single-cell transcriptomics reveals maturation of transplanted stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cells toward native state.2023 · Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A · In animals
- Stem cells for treating retinal degeneration.2023 · J Perinat Med · In animals
- Molecular profiling of stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelial cell differentiation established for clinical translation.2022 · Stem Cell Reports · In animals
- Patient induced pluripotent stem cells identify specificities of a reticular pseudodrusen phenotype in age-related macular degeneration.2026 · Genome Med · In the lab
- Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line (IPSCi001-A), from a 40-year-old female patient with occult macular dystrophy carrying the c.133C > T mutation in the RP1L1 gene.2026 · Stem Cell Res · In the lab
- Generation and characterization of three human induced pluripotent stem cell lines (UGENTi005, UGENTi006 and UGENTi007) from patients with autosomal dominant adult-onset maculopathy due to RPE65 variant c.1555G>A, p.(E519K).2025 · Stem Cell Res · In the lab
- Targeting Angiogenesis and Visual Cycle in Age-Related Macular Degeneration: The Role of Stem Cells and Vinpocetine.2025 · Cureus · In the lab
- Correction: Patient induced pluripotent stem cells identify specificities of a reticular pseudodrusen phenotype in age-related macular degeneration.2026 · Genome Med · Other paper
- RPE replacement therapy for dry AMD-early success in a phase 1/2 clinical trial.2025 · Cell Stem Cell · Other paper
- Intraocular Concentration of Stem Cell Factor/c-KIT and Galectin-1 in Retinal Diseases.2024 · Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci · Other paper
- Safety, structure and function five years after hESC-RPE patch transplantation in acute neovascular AMD with submacular haemorrhage.2024 · Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol · Other paper
