A Phase 2 interventional study of Corneal Donor Tissue with Cross Linking and Corneal Donor Tissue without Cross Linking in Corneal Transplant Failure, sponsored by Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. Recruiting at 12 sites in United States. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-21.
Sponsored by Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary · Phase 2, Interventional, and Treatment
The main objective of this study is to determine the safety of Ex Vivo Cross Linking (CXL) of donor corneal tissue in participants who have undergone high-risk penetrating keratoplasty.
This is a randomized, double-masked, multi site clinical trial to determine the safety of Ex Vivo CXL of donor corneal tissue in 96 participants who have undergone high-risk penetrating keratoplasty.
Participants will be randomized to receive either a corneal tissue that has been untreated vs. a corneal tissue that has been treated with Photrexa® Viscous \& Photrexa® and UV light. The tissue will be prepared by a Corneal Tissue Bank under Current-Good-Tissue-Practice (CGTP) and delivered to the respective institutions for transplantation. Participants will be monitored up to 24 months post-transplantation to assess for adverse events of the randomized tissue.
Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary is the lead sponsor of 100 studies on the registry; 23 are open to participants now.
Of its 13 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 7 (54%) have results posted.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Superficial CNV involving ≤2 quadrants (equivalent to ≤6 clock hours) without deep CNV are classified as mild. CNV with >2 quadrants of superficial vessels (>6 clock hours) or 1 quadrant of deep vessels (>3 clock hours) as severe (36).
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Corticosteroids (steroids)
Anti-inflammatory medicines such as prednisone, prednisolone and dexamethasone — not the anabolic steroids used for muscle.
Studies differ in what they allow: check which steroid medicines, routes (tablets, injections, creams, inhalers, eye drops) and doses this study accepts.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Immunosuppression
A weakened immune system. It can come from an illness, such as HIV or some blood cancers, or from medicines that turn the immune system down, for example after an organ transplant or for an autoimmune disease; steroids at higher doses count.
Read whether the line is about a condition or about medicines, and which medicines and doses it means.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Contraception
Ways of preventing pregnancy. “Highly effective” methods fail less than 1% of the time a year when used correctly — for example an IUD or an implant.
Criteria usually say which methods count and how long to keep using them after the last dose, sometimes for male participants too. Some studies accept a partner’s vasectomy if it was confirmed successful and that person is the participant’s only sexual partner.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Participants in this group will receive tissue that has been treated with 0.1% riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and 20% dextran (Photrexa® viscous and Photrexa®) with UV light treatment. Participants will be monitored over a period of 24 months.
Procedure: Corneal Donor Tissue with Cross Linking
Participants in this group will receive tissue that has has not been treated with 0.1% riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and 20% dextran (Photrexa® viscous and Photrexa®) without UV light treatment. Participants will be monitored over a period of 24 months.
Procedure: Corneal Donor Tissue without Cross Linking
Participants are transplanted with corneal donor tissue that has been treated with 0.1% riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and 20% dextran (Photrexa® Viscous \& Photrexa®) with UV light treatment.
Also known as: Treatment
Participants are transplanted with corneal donor tissue that has not been treated with the UV light and the 0.1% riboflavin (Vitamin B2) and 20% dextran (Photrexa® Viscous \& Photrexa®) without UV light treatment, this is the control group.
Also known as: Control
Determining the Primary Safety of Corneal Cross Linking
The occurrence of adverse events throughout study including: 1. Ocular Safety per the incidences and severity of ocular adverse events during the study based on ophthalmic examination and participants' self-report. 2. Short Term Safety Events (Post Surgery \< 1 Month) * Post-Op Microbial Keratitis * Acute Rejection (Epithelial, Endothelial, Sub epithelial, or Mixed) 3. Long Term Safety Events (Post Surgery \> 1 Month) * Rejection (Epithelial, Endothelial, or Mixed) * Graft Failure * Ulcerative Keratitis * Persistent Epithelial Defect lasting more than 6 Weeks
Time frame: 24 Months
Measure of the Frequency of Graft Failures though Corneal Cross Linking
To determine the efficacy of using cross linked tissue for the indicated keratoplasty for the prevention of corneal graft rejection and corneal neovascularization, by measuring the frequency of primary graft failures over 24 months.
Time frame: 24 Months
Measure of Time from Surgery to Overall Graft Failure for Corneal Cross Linking over 24 Months
The efficacy of using cross linked tissue for the indicated keratoplasty for the prevention of corneal graft rejection and corneal neovascularization, by measuring the time from surgery to overall graft failure (regardless of cause).
Time frame: 24 Months
Measure of Time from Surgery to Graft Rejection for Corneal Cross Linking over 24 Months
The efficacy of using cross linked tissue for the indicated keratoplasty for the prevention of corneal graft rejection and corneal neovascularization, by measuring the occurrence of any rejection episode. (Epithelial, Endothelia, Sub Epithelial, or Mixed) determined as either definite rejection, probably rejection, and possible rejection, from the time of surgery over 24 months.
Time frame: 24 Months
Measure of the Efficacy of Corneal Cross Linking Through Image Review
The efficacy of using cross linked tissue for the indicated keratoplasty for the prevention of corneal graft rejection and corneal neovascularization. 1\. Corneal Neovascularization (CNV) measured and analyzed from slit-lamp photography.
Time frame: 24 Months
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