Scientists Discover How to Regrow Human Corneal Tissue
Scientists Discover How to Regrow Human Corneal Tissue
Scientists have found new ways to regrow human corneal tissue through hard-to-find limbal stem cells called ABCB5 molecule. Limbal stem cells are located in the eye's basal limbal epithelium or limbus. These are helpful in maintaining and regeneration of corneal tissue. Loss of these due to injury or disease is one of the chief causes of blindness.
The scientists used the antibodies detecting ABCB5 to zone in on stem cells in tissue from deceased human donors and employed them for anatomically precise regrowth of fully functional corneas in mice.
Experts have opined that this discovery will make the restoration of the corneal surface easier. This is a prime example of basic research moving to translational application. This is one of the first well known examples of construction of tissues from adult-derived human stem cells.
The ABCB5 allowed the limbal stem cells to survive and protected them from programmed cell death, according to the experts. This research was published in the well known journal Nature.
A Boston-based scientific collaborative spearheaded by Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers has found a way to collect the best cell type for the regeneration of a damaged cornea-the clear membrane that covers the pupils and is involved in the direction of light to the back of the eye. The researchers reported this finding about how purified human stem cells can be used to improve long-term vision in mice. The research team is now interested in FDA approval for the technique before proceeding to patient clinical trials.
The study is led by co-senior researchers Natasha Frank and Markus Frank who are MDs in a collaborative effort with work involving the Massachusetts Eye and Ear/Schepens Eye Research Institute as well as the Boston-based Children's Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital as well as the US Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System.
Corneal blindness is the clouding of a vision which is the result when the blood vessels grow into the cornea. This may have been brought on by injury, autoimmune disease or infection that is responsible for the destruction of active regeneration population of stem cells located in areas behind the cornea. This is called the limbus. Limbal stem cell transplants from an uninjured eye or deceased organ donor have yielded desired results. The outcomes are inconsistent as of yet.
Work previously published on limbal epithelial cell grafts displayed that when more than 3% of the transplanted cells were stem cells, transplants were successful less than 3%. Biological markers found by researchers in the ABCB5 protein located in the surface of limbal stem cells. The team then discovered an antibody that could tag the limbal stem cells in the general sample of human limbal cells. This has made it possible to purify cells responsible for successful limbal cell transplantation.
