Stem Cells Can Repair Damaged Corneas

Eye anatomy.

A new cornea may be the only way to prevent patients going blind. But obtaining the cornea is not a simple affair. The hospital was always short of donated corneas, corneal transplant while the longer lines. 

Starting from this situation, the scientists at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, made ​​a new breakthrough. For the first time they managed to cultivate stem cells in the human cornea. This effort in the long run can remove the need for corneal donation.

Two scientists, Charles Hanson and Ulf Stenevi, replacing the cornea with a donated cornea cultivated from stem cells. They used a corneal defects obtained from the ophthalmology clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Mölndal as research material. In a study published in the journal Acta Ophthalmologies, they show how human stem cells can be used to develop the "epithelial cells". 

Cornea is the transparent layer on the front part, covering the eye. An intrinsic physiological requirement for cornea is paramount for the maintenance of its transparency to ensure proper vision. The shape of cornea is best represented by an ellipse, which progressively flattens in curvature from centre to edge. (Picture from: http://biofilcon.com/)

These cells obtained after stem cells are cultured in the laboratory for 16 days, and then proceed in the cornea for 6 days. Tues epithelium cultivation these later works to maintain the clarity of the cornea. 

"Similar experiments have been conducted in animals. But this is the first time that stem cells can grow in the human cornea is damaged," said Hanson. "This is the first step the use of stem cells to treat a damaged cornea."

Eye exam. A new cornea may be the only way to prevent a patient going blind -- but there is a shortage of donated corneas and the queue for transplantation is long. Scientists have for the first time successfully cultivated stem cells on human corneas, which may in the long term remove the need for donators. (Picture from: http://www.sciencedaily.com/)

Stenefi added, if the routine methods of cultivation of stem cells can be made, availability of materials for patients needing a new cornea would be infinite. "Both the surgical procedure and subsequent treatment will also be a lot simpler," he said. 

Currently there are only a few clinics that can perform a corneal transplant. In Sweden, the majority of cornea transplants performed in the ophthalmology clinic at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Department of Ophthalmology, Mölndal. *** [SCIENCEDAILY | MAHARDIKA SATRIA HADI | KORAN TEMPO 3816]

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