[Progress in the development of tissue engineering of the cornea in Japan]

Recently, regenerative medicine focusing on tissue-engineering techniques has been developed and established as a new clinical field. In Japan, two types of cultivated mucosal epithelial transplantation have been clinically applied to ocular surface reconstruction of severe stem cell deficiencies; one is allogeneic/autologous cultivated corneal epithelial transplantation and the other is autologous cultivated oral mucosal epithelial transplantation. These new techniques enabled us to treat severe stem cell deficiencies by covering the whole damaged ocular surface with cultivated mucosal epithelial sheets. In the field of corneal endothelial research, reconstruction of damaged corneal endothelium utilizing cultivated human corneal endothelial cells or their precursors has been developed and its usefulness confirmed in animal models. This review will provide an overview of recent results, as well as an insight into the future of research on corneal regenerative medicine in Japan.