The implantable device. Credit: Nature Biotechnology 2022
A cell-free medical device can reshape the cornea in people with keratoconus, an eye disease that reduces corneal thickness1. It can be implanted into a thinning cornea using suture-free, minimally invasive surgery.
Existing surgical procedures, which can cure keratoconus, depend on the availability of corneas from donors and only improve vision marginally. The new procedure doesn’t need a cornea from a donor and restores vision in patients who can use contact lens, reports an international research team.
Scientists bioengineered the cell-free, implantable device using medical-grade collagen from pig skin, a purified by-product from the food industry. They then tested its shelf life, biocompatibility and stability.
The team, which included a researcher at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, found that the device transmitted visible light, like the human cornea, and exhibited improved mechanical properties.
The researchers implanted the device into a laser-dissected corneal pocket in 20 patients with keratoconus. During two years of follow-up, the device did not cause any irritation or inflammation and there was no dislocation. It restored vision in 14 patients who were blind before the operation.
The device is non-toxic to human corneal epithelial cells and can be stored at room temperature or in a refrigerator without a special medium or control procedures.
It is sterile and so doesn’t require the pathogen testing needed for human tissue, making it a safer alternative during viral outbreaks. The researchers say that it can be used to achieve a modest vision gain in a large number of patients.
