Endothelial Cell Therapy Announcement

May 4, 2017

SightLife Surgical teams with Dr. Shigeru Kinoshita at Kyoto Prefectural University of
Medicine to bring innovative corneal treatment to market
New endothelial cell therapy shows promising results in clinical trials
Seattle (May 4, 2017) – Today, SightLife Surgical, Inc. (SLS) announced plans to bring a
groundbreaking treatment for the corneal blind to market worldwide. The innovative therapy
involves culturing donated human eye endothelial cells and then injecting the cells into the anterior
chamber of a patient’s eye, where the injected cells safely restore sight within a month. This novel,
regenerative, medical intervention eliminates the need for more invasive corneal transplant surgery
for patients with impaired endothelial cell function who suffer from extreme vision loss or distortion.
“Our new endothelial cell therapy has been showing promising results in trials in Japan for the last
two years,” said Professor Shigeru Kinoshita. “To date, over 30 patients have been treated and are
showing great visual results with no infections or rejections and minimal post-operative care
required.”
The research effort is led by Professor Kinoshita and supported by corneal surgeons and
regenerative cell researchers from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine and Doshisha
University. Following regulatory approval, the treatment could replace a majority of current
Descemet Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK) and Descemet’s Membrane
Endothelial Keratoplasty (DMEK) corneal transplant procedures.
Early indications show that with this new, less invasive therapy, the donation of one human cornea
can result in sight-restoring endothelial treatment for 100 or more patients. This has positive
implications for corneal blind people around the world, especially in developing countries where
demand for corneal transplants far exceeds the availability of donor tissue, surgeon time and
follow-up care.
“This new therapy will be a game-changer for millions suffering with endothelial-related corneal
disease. We are thrilled to work with Professor Kinoshita to ensure that this innovative therapy is
brought to market,” said Monty Montoya, SightLife Surgical president and CEO. “SightLife Surgical
is creating plans to obtain regulatory approval, manufacture and commercialize the therapy in the
U.S. and beyond.”
The cell processing capabilities necessary for the new therapy are in the process of being
transferred from Japan to SLS in Seattle. SLS expects to begin conducting clinical trials using
SLS-generated cells in the coming years.

About SightLife Surgical
SightLife Surgical was founded in fall 2016 to challenge the status quo of the cornea ecosystem,
primarily by driving the systemic change needed to enable innovation and access to treatments for
corneal blindness. This cornea-focused organization provides comprehensive services to support
ophthalmic surgeons, from corneal tissue and devices to reimbursement consulting and political
advocacy. Based in Seattle, SightLife Surgical is a for-profit subsidiary of SightLife, the only nonprofit global health organization working relentlessly to eliminate corneal blindness worldwide by
2040. This mission-driven structure maintains the non-profit status of SightLife as the parent
organization and adds a for-profit “engine” to power and accelerate achievement of the mission.