CORNEAL BIOSYNTHESIS USING TISSUE ENGINEERING

Abstract

This work studies the recent update in tissue engineering of the cornea to get up a biosynthetic cornea which is similar to that of the natural one. This biosynthetic cornea acts as an alternative substitute for keratoprothesis, or using cadaver corneal tissue for transplants.

Tissue engineering has become a new approach for repairing tissue defects and restoring tissue function in recent years. It is defined as understanding the principles of tissue growth, and applying this to produce functional replacement tissue for clinical use. In this study we review: 1. Anatomy of the cornea. 2. Needs for corneal replacement A. Corneal transplantation B. Keratoprosthesis C. Indications of tissue engineered cornea Tissue engineered cornea has been used for some conditions in which penetrating keratoplasty is not acceptable including 1) Multiple graft failure 2) Stevens-Johnson syndrome 3) Ocular burns 4) Bilateral total corneal stem-cell deficiency 5) Corneal opacity with ocular surface disease, or corneal Vascularization.