Centre de Recherche Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Department of Ophthalmology and Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
Sci Adv. 2020 Jun 17;6(25). doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aba2187. Print 2020 Jun.
Transplantation with donor corneas is the mainstay for treating corneal blindness, but a severe worldwide shortage necessitates the development of other treatment options. Corneal perforation from infection or inflammation is sealed with cyanoacrylate glue. However, the resulting cytotoxicity requires transplantation. LiQD Cornea is an alternative to conventional corneal transplantation and sealants. It is a cell-free, liquid hydrogel matrix for corneal regeneration, comprising short collagen-like peptides conjugated with polyethylene glycol and mixed with fibrinogen to promote adhesion within tissue defects. Gelation occurs spontaneously at body temperature within 5 min. Light exposure is not required-particularly advantageous because patients with corneal inflammation are typically photophobic. The self-assembling, fully defined, synthetic collagen analog is much less costly than human recombinant collagen and reduces the risk of immune rejection associated with xenogeneic materials. In situ gelation potentially allows for clinical application in outpatient clinics instead of operating theaters, maximizing practicality, and minimizing health care costs.
同种异体角膜移植是治疗角膜盲的主要手段，但全球严重短缺需要开发其他治疗方法。感染或炎症引起的角膜穿孔可用氰基丙烯酸酯胶封闭。然而，由此产生的细胞毒性需要移植。LiQD 角膜是传统角膜移植和密封剂的替代品。它是一种无细胞的、液体的水凝胶基质，用于角膜再生，由与聚乙二醇偶联的短胶原样肽组成，并与纤维蛋白原混合，以促进组织缺陷内的粘附。在 5 分钟内，凝胶在体温下自发发生。不需要光暴露——这是特别有利的，因为患有角膜炎症的患者通常畏光。自组装的、完全定义的、合成的胶原类似物比人重组胶原便宜得多，并且降低了与异种材料相关的免疫排斥的风险。原位凝胶化有可能允许在门诊诊所而不是手术室进行临床应用，最大限度地提高实用性，并最大限度地降低医疗保健成本。
