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Cultured Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Therapy for Ocular Surface Diseases

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Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy

Part of the book series: Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine ((STEMCELL))

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Abstract

The cornea is our transparent window to the world and its integrity and transparency are essential for proper functioning of the eye. The corneal epithelium is a multilayered, renewable barrier that is maintained in health by epithelial stem cells from the limbus. A recent discovery leads us to believe that limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs) reside in specialised protective niche structures identified as the limbal crypts. The pathology of limbal epithelial stem cell deficiency occurs when there is an insufficiency of LESCs to replace lost surface epithelial cells leading to persistent epithelial defects, conjunctivalisation and ultimately, loss of vision. Researchers continue to discover new ways to harness the power of epithelial stem cells for the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency and one such way is with an expanded limbal epithelial stem cell graft. Advances in the field of tissue engineering are contributing to the optimisation of these transplantation techniques by providing new and innovative biomaterials for use as substrates.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the funding support of the Technology Strategy Board, the EPSRC (HL) and the National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (JTD). Thanks to Dr. Alex Shortt for use of the crypt and clinical images and Dr. Anna O’Callaghan for her CFE image.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Moorfields Eye Hospital Cells for Sight Stem Cell Research Unit, Department of Ocular Biology and Therapeutics, UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK

    Hannah J. Levis & Julie T. Daniels

  2. Department of Ophthalmology, Claremont Wing, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK

    Sajjad Ahmad

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  1. Hannah J. Levis
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  2. Julie T. Daniels
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  3. Sajjad Ahmad
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Correspondence to Hannah J. Levis .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Royan Institute, Department of Developmental Biology, University of Science and Culture, PO Box 19395-4644, Tehran, Iran

    Hossein Baharvand

  2. , Regenerative Medicine, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology an, P.O. Box: 19395-4644, Tehran, Iran

    Nasser Aghdami

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Levis, H.J., Daniels, J.T., Ahmad, S. (2013). Cultured Limbal Epithelial Stem Cell Therapy for Ocular Surface Diseases. In: Baharvand, H., Aghdami, N. (eds) Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy. Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-098-4_3

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