The surface of our eyes is constantly rejuvenated by adult stem cells, say Italian scientists who used the cells to grow corneas that they implanted in damaged eyes.
The stem cells are produced by the limbus, an area surrounding the cornea, and eventually differentiate and drift where needed. The process resembles the body's production of burn-healing stem cells -- something that doctors have for decades harnessed therapeutically by culturing the cells into subsequently grafted skin.
In limbus-destroying eye injuries, corneal transplants nearly always fail. But the researchers, led by Michele De Luca of the University of
Modena, used so-called limbar stem cells taken from injury victims'
healthy eyes to grow new corneas. Of 240 implants, 70% were successful.
An Eye For An Eye: Using Stem Cells To Treat Damaged Eyes And A Rare Skin Disorder [press release]
Results delivered at the European Science Foundation's Challenges in Stem Cell Differentiation and Transplantation workshop.
*Image: Dan Foy