Lessons for reviewing clinical trials using induced pluripotent stem cells: examining the case of a first-in-human trial for age-related macular degeneration

In this commentary from Regenerative Medicine, learn more about the pilot first-in-human study conducted by Masayo Takahashi, RIKEN (Japan). In 2014, Dr Masayo Takahashi (RIKEN, Kobe, Japan) and her research team conducted the first-in-human (FIH) trial using induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In this pilot case, a sheet of retinal pigment epithelial cells was transplanted into a patient. Along with the ambition of the Japanese government, which sought to dominate the global field of regenerative medicine, the news of this trial attracted great attention to diverse communities such as patients, the general public and stem cell researchers. This mounting excitement...