CALEC

CALEC (Cultivated Autologous Limbal Epithelial Cells) is an autologous stem cell therapy developed by Massachusetts Eye and Ear for the treatment of unilateral limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). The therapy involves a two-stage process: first, a small biopsy of limbal epithelial stem cells is harvested from the patient's healthy contralateral eye; second, these cells are expanded ex vivo on a human amniotic membrane (AmnioGraft) substrate using a serum-free and xenobiotic-free protocol. The resulting bio-engineered cellular graft is then surgically transplanted onto the damaged eye to restore the corneal epithelial surface. This approach aims to provide a sustainable source of corneal epithelium in patients whose own stem cell population has been depleted by chemical burns, trauma, or infection, thereby improving visual function and ocular surface integrity.

Other names

Cultivated Autologous Limbal Epithelial CellsCultivation of Limbal epithelial cells into a graft