Isolation and Culture of Corneal Stromal Stem Cells

An increasing body of evidence authenticates the benefit of corneal stroma-derived stem cells (CSSCs) in tissue engineering and regeneration oriented research, and potentially in the development of clinically relevant cellular therapies. Postmortem corneal tissue obtained from otherwise discarded material after keratoplasties is oftentimes the source of the cells for ex vivo research. Relatively easy to isolate and cultivate as well as inexpensive to culture, CSSCs now represent a well-described cell type with attributes of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). These include differentiation- and immunosuppressive potential, as well as a favorable capacity to expand in vitro. Here, we in detail describe two straightforward methods to isolate and establish CSSC cultures ex vivo.