A decrease in the number of these cells due to disease, trauma or ageing will lead to a deterioration of vision and, in many cases, blindness.
When faced with a degradation of corneal cells, the only option to preserve vision currently is a cornea transplant. But due to a lack of donors and cell rejection, such surgeries are extremely difficult. Up to a third of transplanted corneas are rejected by the recipient.
Researchers at Melbourne University and the Centre for Eye Research grew a new layer of a test animal’s own corneal endothelial cells on a specially developed synthetic film, and then placed the layer directly onto the cornea. The film itself is thinner than a human hair and dissolves within two months, leaving new corneal cells in its place.
According to the World Health Organization, corneal blindness is the second most-prevalent cause of blindness on the planet. As of 2010, the condition affected some 4.9 of the estimated 39 million blind people on Earth, about 12 percent.
Ozcelik added that the technique could be used in traditional transplantation operations, as it allows using materials from one donor for many patients.
The film used in the corneal tests has the wide range of applications, Ozcelik suggested, and “could be used for other tissue engineering, such as skin."
Having successfully tested the method on sheep, researchers are preparing for human trials.
