Department of Ophthalmology, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China.
Research Center, Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai, 200031, China.
Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2024 Jul;20(5):1227-1235. doi: 10.1007/s12015-024-10706-6. Epub 2024 Apr 1.
Organoid technology provides a versatile platform for simulating organogenesis, investigating disease pathogenesis, and exploring therapeutic interventions. Among various types of organoids that have been developed, corneal limbal organoids, the three-dimensional miniaturized corneas which are derived from either pluripotent stem cells or limbal epithelial stem cells, are particularly promising for clinical translation. This narrative review summarized the state-of-the-art in corneal limbal organoids research including the cultivation methods, clinical relevance and its limitations and challenges. The potential of corneal limbal organoids in mimicking corneal development, disease modelling, drug screening, and regenerative medicine was discussed. Technical improvements in cultivation techniques, imaging modalities, and gene editing tools are anticipated to overcome current limitations and further promote its clinical potential. Despite challenges and difficulties, the development of corneal limbal organoids opens a new era of regenerative medicine and provides a potential source of stem cell replacement therapies for challenging corneal diseases with the establishment of an in vitro corneal limbal organoid bank.
类器官技术为模拟器官发生、研究疾病发病机制和探索治疗干预提供了一个多功能平台。在已经开发的各种类型的类器官中，角膜缘类器官，即源自多能干细胞或角膜缘上皮干细胞的三维微型化角膜，在临床转化方面具有特别广阔的前景。本文综述了角膜缘类器官研究的最新进展，包括培养方法、临床相关性及其局限性和挑战。讨论了角膜缘类器官在模拟角膜发育、疾病建模、药物筛选和再生医学方面的潜力。预计培养技术、成像方式和基因编辑工具的技术改进将克服当前的局限性，进一步促进其临床潜力。尽管存在挑战和困难，但角膜缘类器官的发展为再生医学开辟了一个新时代，并为建立体外角膜缘类器官库，为具有挑战性的角膜疾病提供了干细胞替代治疗的潜在来源。
