Cornea implants made from pig skin restored eyesight in a small clinical trial
Millions of people around the world are blind or have impaired eyesight because of damage to their corneas, the clear outer layer that protects and focuses light into the eyes. And though corneas with mild damage can heal on their own, some people may need a human cornea transplant to regain their vision.
But these procedures, also known as corneal grafts, can be expensive, invasive and time-consuming surgeries that require patients to take medication for more than a year to ensure their bodies don’t reject the tissue. Like other types of donated organs, human corneas must be used quickly—within two weeks of the donor’s death—which can create logistical challenges. In many parts of the world, particularly in poorer areas, there aren’t enough cornea donations to go around.
Now, researchers in Sweden say they’ve developed a novel solution that addresses many of these and other cornea transplant problems: bioengineered cornea implants made from pig skin.
In a small clinical trial, the
implants led to eyesight improvements in 20 patients suffering from advanced keratoconus, a condition when the cornea thins and bulges, causing blurry, distorted vision. Fourteen of the 20 participants were blind before the procedure but regained some or all of their sight after receiving the implants; they were also able to wear contact lenses again. Three of the blind patients achieved perfect 20/20 vision after the transplants.
All of the study’s participants continued to tolerate the implants two years after the procedure and did not experience any adverse effects, such as inflammation or scarring.
The researchers shared these and other results in a new paper published last week in the journal Nature Biotechnology.
“It is possible to develop a biomaterial that meets all the criteria for being used as
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