Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - EyeRegen (Engineering a scaffold based therapy for corneal regeneration)

Teaser

Corneal blindness resulting from disease, physical injury or chemical burns affects millions worldwide and has a considerable economic and social impact on the lives of people across Europe. In many cases corneal transplants can restore vision however the shortage of donor...

Summary

Corneal blindness resulting from disease, physical injury or chemical burns affects millions worldwide and has a considerable economic and social impact on the lives of people across Europe. In many cases corneal transplants can restore vision however the shortage of donor corneas suitable for transplantation has necessitated the development of alternative treatments. One such approach is to engineer a biomaterial scaffold that can replace the damaged cornea and promote regeneration. The overall objective of this project is to engineer a novel smart scaffold suitable for transplantation. To do this we are examining how different chemical, biochemical, physical and mechanical cues can be used to control the behavior of corneal cells and then use this information to design three-dimensional scaffolds that can regenerate the cornea and are suitable for implantation.

Work performed

The effect that different biochemical reagents have on corneal cells has been evaluated and a number of reagents identified that are suitable for incorporation into our scaffolds. The influence that the physical environment has on the cells with which they are in contact with has also been characterized and provides useful information for our scaffold design and materials selection. A number of different materials processing techniques have been examined and optimized to fabricate smart scaffolds capable of supporting tissue regeneration.

Final results

By the end of this project we plan to have thoroughly investigated the effect that chemical and physical cues have on corneal cell behavior and developed and tested a smart scaffold capable of promoting corneal regeneration. The outcome of this research will improve the quality of life of patients suffering from corneal blindness across Europe.