Tissue Engineering: The Eye Nastasja Rittling October 24, 2012

Anatomy of the eye

Brief Overview Create cell tissue to replace damaged body parts Combination of cells, engineering, material methods, and biochemical factors to improve or replace biological functions Study of the growth of connective tissue

Goal & Procedure for the eye Patients that need engineered corneas: -Patients with damaged corneas -Patients with severe bilateral corneal disease -Immunological disorders -Chemical injuries

Cell sheets

Current technology -Current technology can display the topography of the cornea to detect any problem spots

History The study of cells began in 1655 with Robert Hooke French ophthalmologist, Guillaume Pellier de Quengsy, had the idea of an artificial cornea Interest of keratoprosthesis over 200 years ago -Medical Definition: An acrylic plastic replacement for the central area of an opacified cornea First cornea transplant by Eduard Zirm (Czech Republic) May 6 th, Vladimir Filatov (Russia) successfully replaced a patient’s cornea using corneal tissue from a deceased human First transplantation where vision was improved The term “Tissue Engineering” was determined in 1987 during a meeting of the National Science Foundation

Future plans Synthetic cornea: Mimics the natural cornea and fits seamlessly into the human eye The creation of a corneal replacement that consists of only natural materials To make the tissue growth period shorter

Limitations Rejection Detachment or displacement over time Infection: The cornea does not have blood vessels so it can not receive nutrients, so it heals slowly Glaucoma and extrusion of the implanted cornea Inflammation and reduction in vision (both limitations can be be healed by antibiotics)

Advantages and disadvantages Solution is long term Much safer than other procedures More cost effective than other methods Ethical controversies “life starts at conception” Challenges related to cell isolation, preparation, biomaterial design Growing cells in sufficient quantities Expensive if not covered by insurance

Citations Nishida, K. (2004). Corneal reconstruction with tissue-engineered cell sheets composed of autologous oral mucosal epithelium. The New England Journal of Medicine, Retrieved from Dalton, Paul D., Yi-Chi Chen, and Robert Horne. "Interpenetrating Polymer Network." John Wiley & Sons (1994): Print. Duan, X. (2006). Dendrimer crosslinked collagen as a cornealtissueengineering scaffold: Mechanical properties and corneal epithelial cell interactions. Biomaterials, 27(26), 4608–4617. Kadakia, Arpita. Hybrid Superporous Scaffolds: An application for corneal tissue engineering. UMI Dissertation Publishing, National Eye Institute. (2011, December). Nei support for corneal transplantation. Retrieved from n.asp Brightbill, Frederick S., Charles N. J. McGhee, and Peter J. McDonnell. Corneal Surgery: Theory, Technique, and Tissue. 4th. Elsevier Health Sciences, Print.