Ex vivo cultured limbal epithelial transplantation. A clinical perspective

The term ex vivo cultured limbal epithelial transplantation (CLET) refers to the process of culturing a sheet of human limbal epithelium in the laboratory and transplanting this sheet back onto the limbal stem cell-deficient cornea of the same patient or another recipient. This emerging technology represents one of the earliest successes in regenerative medicine. CLET is, at present, best suited to patients who have unilateral total limbal stem cell deficiency arising from chemical injury and who are suitable for autologous cell culture and transplantation. Although the results of allogeneic cell transplantation are encouraging and superior to conventional stem cell transplantation techniques, insufficient follow-up precludes conclusions regarding the long-term outcomes. Other tissues, such as oral mucosal epithelium, are emerging as viable alternative sources of cells, especially for patients with bilateral disease.