Tissue Banks International releases first sterile cornea allograft

SAN FRANCISCO — The nation's first sterile cornea allograft for use in tectonic transplant procedures was introduced here by Tissue Banks International.

The patent-pending VisionGraft sterile cornea comes ready to use at room temperature with a shelf stability of at least one year, according to a press release issued here at the joint meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Pan-American Association of Ophthalmology.

According the release, the new irradiated cornea has already proven effective in glaucoma shunt surgery, as a patch graft and with keratoprosthesis. In addition, the new allograft has shown promising results in anterior lamellar and deep anterior lamellar keratoplasty procedures.

"For glaucoma shunt surgery, the clarity of the tissue is the key advantage over other tissue allografts," David Pennington, Tissue Banks International's vice president of ocular operations, said in the release. "But for emergency procedures like a cornea perforation, what really helps is the shelf stability, because the doctor can have it ready as an inventory item, available whenever they need it."

VisionGraft sterile corneas, which are available whole or pre-cut, are prepared at the National Eye Bank Center in Memphis, Tennessee.