Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 25, 2025
Combination of Microstereolithography and Electrospinning to Produce Membranes Equipped with Niches for Corneal Regeneration
Published on: September 12, 2014
Tissue-Cultured Human Cord Lining Epithelial Cells in Treatment of Persistent Corneal Epithelial Defect
Nguyen Dinh Ngan1,2, Hoang Minh Chau3,4, Pham Ngoc Dong3
1Department of Ophthalmology, 103 Military Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Insights
Cultivated cord lining epithelial cells (CLECs) show promise for treating persistent corneal epithelial defects (PEDs). This transplantation method is safe and effective, promoting early healing without long-term cell presence.
Area of Science:
- Ophthalmology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Cell Therapy
Background:
- Persistent corneal epithelial defects (PEDs) are challenging ocular surface disorders.
- Current treatments for PEDs have limitations.
- Cultivated amniotic epithelial cell sheets offer a potential new therapeutic approach.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the efficacy of cultivated cord lining epithelial cells (CLECs) sheets for PED treatment.
- To identify factors influencing the success of CLEC transplantation.
Main Methods:
- A prospective interventional case series.
- Transplantation of tissue-cultured human CLECs into 37 eyes with PED.
- Follow-up included clinical assessment and histopathological analysis.
Main Results:
- 34 out of 37 eyes healed following CLEC transplantation.
- 22 eyes healed within one week post-surgery.
- Histopathology revealed normal corneal scarring without CLEC presence in successful cases.
Conclusions:
- Tissue-cultured human CLEC transplantation is a safe and effective treatment for PED.
- CLECs appear to facilitate early epithelial healing.
- CLECs are not detected long-term at the transplant site.
Background:
Persistent corneal epithelial defect (PED) is a consequence of many ocular surface disorders. Although many therapies have been suggested, the treatment of this disease have faced a lot of difficulties up to now. The transplatation of cultivated amniotic epithelial cells sheets is the new promised method for PED. Cord lining epithelial cells (CLECs) are epithelial cells of amniotic membrane of umbilical cord, so these cultivated cells sheet may be good for treating PED.
Aim:
To evaluate the efficacy of the transplantation of cultivated CLECs sheets in treatment of PED and analyze some influential factors of this therapy.
Methods:
A prospective interventional case series with transplantation of tissue-cultured human CLECs in 37 PED eyes in Vietnam National Institute of Ophthalmology.
Results:
Thirty four of 37 eyes were healed with the cells transplantation and 22 eyes of them healed within a week postoperatively. There were normal corneal scars and normal corneal epithelial cell (by impression cytology detection) on transplantation site in all 31 successful cases. The other successful eyes were done lamellar keratoplasty (respectively in 1 month, 3 months, 6 months and 27 months postoperatively) to investigate the histopathology of the CLECs transplant site. The histopathological images showed normal corneal scar and there was no appearance of CLECs in transplant site.
Conclusion:
tissue-cultured human CLECs transplantation is a quite safe and effective treatment for persistent corneal epithelial defect. The CLECs may help the epithelial healing at early stage but do not exist at transplant site for a long time.
