A human cornea produced by a XNUMXD printer

Human corneas have been printed, for the first time ever, using a XNUMXD printer by scientists at the University of Newcastle. This means that the method could be used in the future to ensure an unlimited supply of human corneas.

[Translation by Dr. Nachmani Moshe]
Human corneas have been printed, for the first time ever, using a XNUMXD printer by scientists at the University of Newcastle. This means that the method could be used in the future to ensure an unlimited supply of human corneas.

As the outermost layer of the human eye, the cornea plays an important role in focusing vision. Despite this, there is a significant lack of corneas available for transplantation, when about ten million people around the world need surgery to prevent corneal blindness as a result of diseases such as trachoma, an infectious eye disease. In addition, about five million people suffer from total blindness due to corneal scarring caused by burns, injuries, scratches and diseases. A proof-of-concept study, published long ago in the scientific journal Experimental Eye, describes how stem cells (stromal cells of a human cornea) derived from a healthy cornea donor were mixed together with the materials alginate and collagen to create a solution that can be printed, i.e. a solution used as a 'bio- ink'. With the help of a simple and cheap XNUMXD bioprinter, the bioink successfully takes the form of central circles that resemble a human cornea. The process takes less than ten minutes of printing.
Che Connon, professor of tissue engineering at Newcastle University, who led the research, said: "Many research teams around the world are trying to achieve the ideal bio-ink that would make this process possible. "Our unique gel - a combination of alginate and collagen - keeps the stem cells alive while generating a material that is hard enough to keep its shape and still soft enough to pass through the nozzle of a XNUMXD printer. "This achievement builds on our previous work in which we were able to keep the cells alive for weeks at room temperature within a similar hydrogel. Now we have a ready-to-use bio-ink that contains stem cells, one that allows users to start printing tissues without growing the cells separately." The researchers also demonstrated that they are able to grow a cornea that matches the patient's unique features.
The dimensions of the printed tissue were originally taken from an actual cornea. By scanning the patient's eye, the researchers could use the data to quickly print a cornea that matches the size and shape of the patient's eye in need. The lead researcher explains: "The corneas we printed with a XNUMXD printer will now need to undergo additional tests and it will take several years before we can actually use them for transplants. "At the same time, what we have proven is that it is possible to print corneas with the help of landmarks taken from the patient's eye, and this approach has the potential to eradicate the worldwide shortage of corneas for transplantation."

Article Summary

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The news about the study

Dr. Steve Swioklo and Professor Che Connon with the colored cornea [Courtesy: Newcastle University, UK]