A research team has achieved a groundbreaking success by using corneal tissue derived from human-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) to restore vision in patients with limbal stem cell deficiency, as reported in The Lancet. This condition, which affects the cornea and can lead to blindness, previously required traditional corneal transplants, which are limited by donor availability and potential immune rejection.
Scientists from Osaka University in Japan developed a method to create transplantable corneal tissue using iPS cells. These cells were reprogrammed from blood cells of healthy donors, mimicking an embryonic state before being cultivated into corneal tissue.
Between June 2019 and November 2020, the team conducted surgeries on four patients suffering from limbal stem cell deficiency, which had severely impaired their vision. The surgeries employed corneal tissues cultured from iPS cells, and two of the patients also received immunosuppressive treatment. They were monitored for 52 weeks, with additional follow-ups extending to 104 weeks.
