Technology could assist with treatment of damaged corneas

The technology, described in the journal Acta Biomaterialia,has been designed to treat damage to the cornea, which is one of the major causes of blindness in the world.

Using microstereolithography and electrospinning, the researchers are able to make a disc of biodegradable material that can be fixed over the cornea. The disc is loaded with stem cells that then multiply, allowing the body to heal the eye naturally.

‘The disc has an outer ring containing pockets into which stem cells taken from the patient’s healthy eye can be placed,’ said EPSRC Fellow, Dr Ílida Ortega Asencio, from Sheffield’s Faculty of Engineering. ‘The material across the centre of the disc is thinner than the ring, so it will biodegrade more quickly allowing the stem cells to proliferate across the surface of the eye to repair the cornea.’

According to a statement, a key feature of the disc is that it contains niches to house and protect the stem cells, mirroring niches found around the rim of a healthy cornea.