Everything we do at CIRM is laser-focused on our mission: to accelerate stem cell treatments for patients with unmet medical needs. So, you might imagine what a thrill it is to meet the people who could be helped by the stem cell research we fund. People like Rosie Barrero who suffers from Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), an inherited, incurable form of blindness, which she describes as “an impressionist painting in a foggy room”.
The CIRM team first met Rosie Barrero back in 2012 at one of our governing Board meetings. She and her husband, German, attended the meeting to advocate for a research grant application submitted by UC Irvine’s Henry Klassen. The research project aimed to bring a stem cell-based therapy for RP to clinical trials. The Board approved the project giving a glimmer of hope to Rosie and many others stricken with RP.
Now, that hope has become a reality in the form of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved clinical trial which Rosie participated in last year. Sponsored by jCyte, a company Klassen founded, the CIRM-funded trial is testing the safety and effectiveness of a non-surgical treatment for RP that involves injecting stem cells into the eye to help save or even restore the light-sensing cells in the back of the eye. The small trial has shown no negative side effects and a larger, follow-up trial, also funded by CIRM, is now recruiting patients.
Almost five years after her first visit, Rosie returned to the governing Board in February and sprinkled in some of her witty humor to describe her preliminary yet encouraging results.
“It has made a difference. I’m still afraid of public speaking but early on [before the clinical trial] it was much easier because I couldn’t see any of you. But, hello everybody! I can see you guys. I can see this room. I can see a lot of things.”
After the meeting, she sat down for an interview with the Stem Cellar team to talk about her RP story and her experience as a clinical trial participant. The three-minute video above is based on that interview. Watch it and be inspired!
The Stem Cellar 
I started crying when I read this. So, so happy for Rosie!! I live in Texas and was diagnosed only last year, though looking back, I see now there were definite issues. This gives me hope. Thank you, Dr. Klassen and CIRM!!
I have2 sons (half brothers) 41 and 50 years of age. Diagnosed at 21 and 14 with RP. They would very much like to be involved in a trial.
Hi Kendra, you can contact jCyte, the company that is sponsoring this RP trial to inquire about patient eligibility and enrollment. Here is their website: http://jcyte.com/clinical-trials/
We are planning to participate in phase 2 of the trial but would love to talk to Rosie and others that participated in phase 1. Is it possible to reach out to them with some questions?
Indeed the true cure of Macular degeneration is RPE and photoreceptors transplantation.
At the present time Clinical trails RPE transplantation has been done.
But when dose clinical trials photoreceptors take place?