The treatment restored cells in degenerated retinas and was able to improve vision dramatically, according to investigators.

The drug’s creator, Genentech, is hoping to reduce the number of injections for patients with wet age-related macular degeneration.

The safety results, drawn from the studies’ initial stages, are “very encouraging,” according to the Foundation’s chief research officer.

A Foundation-funded team at the University of Iowa concludes that TUDCA shows promise for treatments of certain kinds of RP and Bardet-Biedl syndrome.