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Corneal Tissue Engineering: An In Vitro Model of the Stromal-nerve Interactions of the Human Cornea
Published on: January 24, 2018
Functional human corneal equivalents constructed from cell lines
M Griffith1, R Osborne, R Munger
1University of Ottawa Eye Institute and Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital-General Campus, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6, Canada. mgriffith@ogh.on.ca
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|December 11, 1999
Summary
Researchers created artificial human corneas using immortalized cells. These corneal equivalents accurately mimic natural human corneas in structure and function, offering potential for drug testing and tissue development.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Tissue Engineering
- Biotechnology
Background:
- The human cornea is crucial for vision, consisting of three distinct cellular layers: epithelium, stroma, and endothelium.
- Current methods for corneal research and transplantation face limitations, driving the need for advanced in vitro models.
- Developing functional human corneal models is essential for accurate preclinical testing and regenerative medicine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To construct and characterize in vitro human corneal equivalents that replicate the native cornea's structure and function.
- To utilize immortalized human corneal cells for reproducible and scalable tissue fabrication.
- To assess the potential of these corneal equivalents for drug screening and future therapeutic applications.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of three-layered human corneal equivalents using immortalized corneal cells (epithelium, stroma, endothelium).
- Screening of cell lines based on morphological, biochemical, and electrophysiological similarity to native corneal cells.
- Comprehensive evaluation of corneal equivalents for morphology, transparency, ion/fluid transport, gene expression, and biochemical markers.
Main Results:
- Successfully constructed human corneal equivalents that mirror the three primary corneal layers.
- Corneal equivalents demonstrated high fidelity to native human corneas in physical and physiological functions.
- Key indicators including morphology, transparency, transport functions, and gene expression profiles were successfully mimicked.
Conclusions:
- In vitro constructed human corneal equivalents accurately replicate human corneal structure and function.
- These advanced corneal models are suitable for immediate application in toxicity and drug efficacy testing.
- The developed corneal equivalents provide a foundation for the future creation of implantable artificial corneas.
