Prof. LI Lingsong of Beijing Keyu StemCell Corp. and others discovered in a study that stem cells could speed up the healing of an injured cornea. The finding, published in the US journal of STEMCELLS in August, creates a new source for repairing cornea through self-body transplantation, and a new approach to treat human corneal disease.
Researchers cultured human adult and fetal limbal cells on human amniotic membrane. The cultured adult human limbal cells were transplanted onto rabbit corneas that were damaged through chemical means. Immunofluorescent staining of human-nuclear antigen, p63, K3, and connexin43 identified human-specific cells, progenitor cells, and differentiated corneal epithelial cells, respectively. After transplantation of adult human limbal cells cultured on human amniotic membrane, injured rabbit corneas were completely reconstructed. The finding indicates that the achieved therapeutic effects is possibly associated with the inflammation suppressing role of transplanted stem cells and the formation of blood vessels, rather than with undivided epithelial cells. |
