Envisaging an allogenic Corneal endothelial precursor/Stem Cell Bank (CESBANK)

Abstract

Bullous Keratopathy (BK) affects thousands of people in India every year. Though in early stages it is manageable medically, advanced disease warrants either total corneal transplantation or partial thickness transplantation for which a donor-cadaver cornea is necessary. Amano et al have reported the successful treatment of BK in animal models using in-vitro expanded human corneal endothelial precursors; though the rabbits had to be kept facing eye down to allow gravity assisted settling of the cells to the summit of the cornea where the damage had been created. For successful treatment using the above method, a human being has to lie prone with eyes immobilized for 24-36 Hrs. This is extremely discomforting and hence not practical. Corneal endothelium removed from the button and transported at varying temperature conditions for 48Hrs was successfully cultured in NCRM and this was reported earlier. We are working on a suitable scaffold to retain the cells in situ until their attachment to the damaged portion of the corneal endothelium enabling it to heal without the patient having to lie prone. With such capability, we envisage to make a corneal endothelial precursor/stem cell (CES) bank named as CESBANK to make in-vitro expanded CES available for patients with corneal diseases, most commonly Bullous Keratopathy (BK).

Keywords

• Proceedings of Annual Symposium on Regenerative Medicine