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Collagen matrix shows promise in development of artificial cornea
Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008;49(12):5325-5331.
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A collagen-chondroitin scaffold was shown to be a reliable substrate for the development of an artificially reconstructed cornea.
The scaffold was resilient, biologically adaptable and easy to handle.
Researchers simulated the corneal extracellular matrix with a porous collagen/glycosaminoglycan-based scaffold seeded with stromal keratocytes, epithelial cells and endothelial cells.
The scaffold was populated with keratocytes, which produced a new extracellular matrix. The keratocytes lost their CD34 phenotype marker but did not develop into myofibroblasts.
"The epithelial cells formed a stratified epithelium and began basement membrane deposition. An endothelial cell monolayer beneath the foam scaffold was also apparent," the study authors said.
The scaffold was 85% porous, with an average pore size of 62.1 µm.
Artificial corneas of cultured cells and collagen with glycosaminoglycans molecules are showing early success. Although not ready for human use, they show promise for future cornea transplant tissues. In this report, the artificial corneas allowed keratocytes, epithelial cells and endothelial cells all to successfully survive in or on the tissue and each at the appropriate location.
At this point, it does not affect clinical practice. It will have some applications in pharmacologic testing. However, it offers a glimpse of what may be possible for manufactured corneas, which could be scaffolds for supporting cultured cells from the patient’s own body.
– Francis W. Price Jr., MD
OSN Cornea/External Disease Section Member