Breakthrough: Human corneas can be regrown

A recent study has led to researchers in Boston, USA to identify a way to encourage the regrowth of human corneal tissue on mice using limbal stem cells. This is a big breakthrough which could go on to help restore vision in patients that have lost or impaired vision because of injury or disease that affects the cornea.

As cited on masseyeandear.org, “the research, published this week in ‘Nature’, is also one of the first known examples of constructing a tissue from an adult-derived human stem cell.”

“Limbal stem cells are very rare, and successful transplants are dependent on these rare cells,” says Bruce Ksander, Ph.D., of Mass. Eye and Ear, co-lead author on the study with post-doctoral fellow Paraskevi Kolovou, M.D. “This finding will now make it much easier to restore the corneal surface. It’s a very good example of basic research moving quickly to a translational application.”

LaserVision look forward to tracking the progression of this breakthrough and its transition to the medical industry for future patient application.

Source: masseyeandear.org