Collagen-based bioengineered corneas : a material development update

• PurposeOur overall objective is to develop novel biomimetic materials that support the regeneration of diseased or damaged corneal tissue. This presentation will provide an update on such materials developed in our group.MethodsWe have developed a range of collagen-based materials as mimics of the cell-free corneal stromal extracellular matrix. Promising material formulations were tested pre-clinically for their physical properties (e.g. mechanical, optical, water uptake, etc.) and physiological properties (e.g. interactions with corneal cells, biodegradation, in vivo implantation in animals etc.). One of the early formulations was clinically tested in the corneas of 10 patients, results of which will be discussed.ResultsMore recently, our team of Canadian and Swedish researchers reported the successful implantation of cell-free, bioengineered corneas into patients with keratoconus and central scarring in a Phase 1 clinical trial. These implants acted as stable scaffolds that promoted functional regeneration of corneal cells and nerves. At 24 months post-operative, six of the ten patients could see four times further than before the operation. With the help of rigid contact lenses – the results in all ten patients were similar to what the traditional corneal transplant with human donor tissue would be, with one patient achieving 20/20 vision and two others with 20/25 vision.ConclusionsDespite the promising clinical results, more robust and elastic materials are required to withstand the adverse host conditions faced for high risk transplantation in severely damaged or diseased corneas as well as for full-thickness corneal implants. Examples of next generation biomaterials that have been implanted into animal models as partial and full-thickness grafts that allow regeneration of nerve sub-types and show resistance to neovascularization will be shown.

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