Porcine dermal collagen was chemically and photochemically bioengineered into an implantable tissue mimicking the human corneal extracellular matrix. The implant presents a simpler and safer method than donor cornea transplantation while delivering equivalent outcomes, and has restored vision to people with advanced keratoconus in resource-limited regions, where the burden of blindness is highest.
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References
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This is a summary of: Rafat, M. et al. Bioengineered corneal tissue for minimally invasive vision restoration in advanced keratoconus in two clinical cohorts. Nat. Biotechnol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01408-w (2022).
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Accessible bioengineered corneal tissue to address a blinding disease globally. Nat Biotechnol 41, 25–26 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01409-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01409-9
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