Enkhbat Myagmartsend, Mehta Jodhbir S, Peh Gary S L, Yim Evelyn K F
Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
Tissue Engineering and Cell Therapy Group, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore 169856, Singapore.
Biomater Sci. 2025 Feb 25;13(5):1114-1130. doi: 10.1039/d4bm00941j.
The treatment of corneal blindness due to corneal diseases and injuries often requires the transplantation of healthy cadaveric corneal endothelial graft tissue to restore corneal clarity and visual function. However, the limited availability of donor corneas poses a significant challenge in meeting the demand for corneal transplantation. As a result, there is a growing interest in developing strategies alleviate this unmet need, and one of the postulated approaches is to isolate and expand primary human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs) for use in cell therapy. This review summarizes the recent advancements in the expansion of HCECs using biomaterials. Two principal biomaterial-based approaches, including extracellular matrix (ECM) coating and functionalized synthetic polymers, have been investigated to create an optimal microenvironment for the expansion and maintenance of corneal endothelial cells (CECs). This review highlights the challenges and opportunities in expanding primary HCECs using biomaterials. It emphasizes the importance of optimizing biomaterial properties, cell culture conditions, and the roles of biophysical cues to achieve efficient expansion and functional maintenance of CECs. Biomaterial-based strategies hold significant promise for expanding primary HCECs and improving the outcomes of CEC transplantation. The integration of biomaterials as cell culture substrates and transplantable carriers offers a comprehensive approach to address the limitations associated with current corneal tissue engineering techniques.
因角膜疾病和损伤导致的角膜盲的治疗通常需要移植健康的尸体角膜内皮移植组织，以恢复角膜透明度和视觉功能。然而，供体角膜的有限供应对满足角膜移植需求构成了重大挑战。因此，人们越来越有兴趣开发策略来缓解这一未满足的需求，一种假设的方法是分离和扩增原代人角膜内皮细胞（HCECs）用于细胞治疗。本综述总结了使用生物材料扩增HCECs的最新进展。已经研究了两种主要的基于生物材料的方法，包括细胞外基质（ECM）涂层和功能化合成聚合物，以创建一个有利于角膜内皮细胞（CECs）扩增和维持的最佳微环境。本综述强调了使用生物材料扩增原代HCECs时面临的挑战和机遇。它强调了优化生物材料特性、细胞培养条件以及生物物理线索的作用对于实现CECs有效扩增和功能维持的重要性。基于生物材料的策略在扩增原代HCECs和改善CEC移植结果方面具有巨大潜力。将生物材料用作细胞培养底物和可移植载体的整合提供了一种全面的方法来解决当前角膜组织工程技术相关的局限性。
