For people with macular telangiectasia type 2 (MacTel), a rare eye disease that slowly takes away central vision, there has never been an approved treatment—until now.
But a new study has shown that a tiny surgical implant placed in the eye can help slow down the loss of vision.
This marks an important step forward in protecting sight and fighting eye diseases that damage nerve cells in the retina.
The new device, called ENCELTO, is made by Neurotech Pharmaceuticals and was tested in two international clinical trials led by scientists at Scripps Research and the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Published in NEJM Evidence, the results showed that the implant helped preserve the light-sensing cells in the eyes of people with MacTel. The trials included 228 people and followed them for two years. The research took place at 47 sites around the world.
MacTel is a slow-moving disease, usually showing up in adults around age 40 or older. It causes damage to photoreceptors, the special cells in the retina that allow us to see fine details, read, and recognize faces.
Over time, these cells break down, leading to blurry vision and blind spots. There has been no cure or approved treatment—until ENCELTO was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2025.
ENCELTO is not like eye drops or injections. It is a tiny implant placed at the back of the eye through surgery. Inside the implant are specially modified cells that continuously release a protective protein called CNTF.
This protein helps nourish and protect the photoreceptors so they can survive longer. The implant is designed so that the cells inside stay safe from the body’s immune system. This allows the treatment to work for a long time without being rejected.
In the two trials, the implant clearly slowed down damage in the retina. In one trial, the rate of cell loss was reduced by nearly 55%. In the other, it was reduced by about 31%. These differences may be due to how advanced the disease was in different patients. But overall, both studies showed that the implant worked.
The scientists also looked at how well people could see and perform vision tasks. One test called microperimetry showed that vision loss slowed down, especially in the group where the implant protected more cells.
Reading speed and sensitivity to light had mixed results—one study showed improvements while the other didn’t. But when researchers combined data from both trials, the overall benefit became clear.
Importantly, the implant worked even in people who were at different stages of the disease and had different levels of vision. It was well-tolerated, with few side effects, and helped more when used before the disease caused too much damage. Scientists now plan to follow patients beyond two years to see if the benefits last or even improve.
The researchers also want to learn why some people had better results than others. Understanding this could help doctors identify which patients are most likely to benefit. This could lead to even better outcomes by personalizing treatment.
Because ENCELTO delivers protein therapy directly to the retina over time, it may also be useful for treating other eye diseases in the future. This approach of protecting nerve cells with long-acting implants could open up new ways to treat vision loss and other nerve-related conditions in the brain and eyes.
This study is a big breakthrough for people living with MacTel. It shows that protecting retinal cells early on can help keep vision for longer, giving people a better chance to enjoy daily life. With more research, this tiny eye implant might not only protect sight—but also change the way we treat many brain and eye disorders.
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The study is published in NEJM Evidence.
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