Advanced Cell Technology Receives FDA Clearance For Clinical Trials Using Embryonic Stem Cells to Treat Age-Related Macular Degeneration

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (“ACT”; OTCBB:ACTC), a leader in the field of regenerative medicine, announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Company’s Investigational New Drug (IND) application to treat Dry Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) using retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). ACT is now permitted to initiate a Phase I/II multicenter clinical trial to treat patients with Dry AMD, the most common form of macular degeneration in the world. There are currently no treatments available for this prevalent disease of an aging global population. Dry AMD, representing a substantial global market opportunity and afflicts between 10-15 million Americans.