Kim Minju, Choi Kanghoon, Lin Amy, Kim Jungkyu
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.
Moran Eye Center, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA.
Adv Biol (Weinh). 2025 Feb 17:e2400571. doi: 10.1002/adbi.202400571.
Corneal blindness remains a significant global health challenge, with limited treatment options due to donor tissue scarcity outside of the United States and inadequate in vitro models. This review analyzes the current state of cornea chip technology, addressing fundamental challenges and exploring future directions. Recent advancements in biomaterials and fabrication techniques are discussed that aim to recapitulate the complex structure and function of the human cornea, including the multilayered epithelium, organized stroma, and functional endothelium. The review highlights the potential of the cornea chips to revolutionize ocular research by offering more predictive and physiologically relevant models for drug screening, disease modeling, and personalized medicine. Current designs, their applications in studying drug permeability, barrier function, and wound healing, and their limitations in replicating native corneal architecture, are examined. Key challenges include integrating corneal curvature, basement membrane formation, and innervation. Applications are explored in modeling diseases like keratitis, dry eye disease, keratoconus, and Fuchs' endothelial dystrophy. Future directions include incorporating corneal curvature using hydraulically controlled systems, using patient-derived cells, and developing comprehensive disease models to accelerate therapy development and reduce reliance on animal testing.
角膜盲仍然是一项重大的全球健康挑战,由于美国以外供体组织稀缺以及体外模型不足,治疗选择有限。本综述分析了角膜芯片技术的现状,阐述了基本挑战并探索了未来方向。讨论了生物材料和制造技术的最新进展,这些进展旨在重现人类角膜的复杂结构和功能,包括多层上皮、有组织的基质和功能性内皮。该综述强调了角膜芯片通过为药物筛选、疾病建模和个性化医疗提供更具预测性和生理相关性的模型,从而彻底改变眼科研究的潜力。研究了当前的设计、它们在研究药物渗透性、屏障功能和伤口愈合方面的应用,以及它们在复制天然角膜结构方面的局限性。关键挑战包括整合角膜曲率、基底膜形成和神经支配。探讨了在角膜炎、干眼症、圆锥角膜和富克斯内皮营养不良等疾病建模中的应用。未来方向包括使用液压控制系统整合角膜曲率、使用患者来源的细胞以及开发全面的疾病模型,以加速治疗开发并减少对动物试验的依赖。
Adv Biol (Weinh). 2025-2-17
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