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Study: Cryopreservation of transplantable cultured limbal stem cells possible

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Limbal stem cells expanded on amniotic membrane can be cryopreserved for potential transplantation to treat patients with limbal stem cell deficiency, according to a study published in the April issue of Cornea.

Huey-Chuan Cheng, MD, and colleagues at National Cheng Kung University in Taiwan cultured pieces of limbus on amniotic membrane for 3 weeks to grow limbal stem cells. They then tested different cryoprotectant formulations for preserving the resulting cell sheets in liquid nitrogen.

"Expanded cell sheets usually exhibited [three to six] stratified layers after 3-week culture on [amniotic membrane] and expressed specific markers of ABCG2 and vimentin for limbal stem cells," the authors said.

The researchers found that the optimal formula for preserving the expanded cell sheets included 60% Dulbecco modified Eagle medium, 30% fetal bovine serum and 10% dimethyl sulfoxide.

The stem cells maintained their cellular characteristics after 8 weeks of cryopreservation and, when thawed, showed an average 53.8% cell viability, according to the study.