Conditions / Immune system, eyes, and brain
Exosomes for dry eye from graft-versus-host disease
One study without a comparison group reported improvement in 28 eyes whose dry eye had resisted other treatment.
No exosome product is FDA-approved for this or any other condition.
1 study, strongest design first
How to read the bars and marks
Bars: how strong the study design is
More filled bars means a design that can tell more reliably whether the treatment caused the result.
- Single case or case seriesOne patient or a handful, described without a comparison. It can raise an idea; it cannot show that a treatment works.
- Study without a control groupA group was treated and followed, but nobody was left untreated for comparison. Improvement may come from time, other care, or the placebo effect.
- Controlled trialTreated patients were compared with a control: placebo, another treatment, or the untreated side of the face. Most exosome trials at this level are small and short.
- Phase 3 resultsA large trial designed to prove a treatment works, the kind regulators usually require. No exosome product has published phase 3 results.
- FDA approvedThe FDA has reviewed the evidence and approved the product for that use. No exosome product is approved for any use.
Marks: what the study found
A solid mark means a benefit over the comparison. Hollow or partly filled marks mean less.
- Better than controlThe treated group did better than the comparison group on the main measures.
- Mixed or short-lived resultSome benefit, but only on some measures, in a subgroup, or for a short time.
- Similar to comparison treatmentAbout the same as another treatment, such as PRP, which may itself be unproven.
- No benefit over controlThe treated group did no better than placebo or the comparison.
- Improvement reported, no control groupPatients improved, but without a comparison group there is no way to tell whether the treatment caused it.
- Safety onlyThe study looked for harms. It was not designed to show whether the treatment works.
- Stopped for a safety eventThe study was halted after a serious problem in a participant.
- Improvement reported, no control group
Umbilical cord stem cell exosome eye drops for dry eye from graft-versus-host disease
Zhou T et al., Science Advances, 2022. 28 eyes. Made from: umbilical cord.
In patients whose dry eye had not responded to other treatment, staining of the eye surface fell, tear film lasted longer, tear production rose, and symptom scores improved.