The development of cell-based therapies using stem cells represents a significant breakthrough in the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). The aim of this study was to develop a novel protocol to differentiate human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into corneal epithelial progenitor cells (CEPCs), with similar features to primary cultured human limbal stem cells (LSCs), using a medium c...

Transplantation of cultivated limbal epithelium on substrates such as amniotic membrane is an established treatment for severe ocular surface disease with limbal stem cell deficiency. In this study, we adapted an established method to generate sheets of limbal epithelium on amniotic membrane and characterized the cells contained in these sheets and tested them for safety with regard to microbia...

BACKGROUND The tumor suppressor gene p53 is expressed without apoptosis in the limbal basal stem cells of all pterygia and limbal tumors and most pingueculae from which these growths seem to originate. Oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been found in pterygia and limbal tumors, and HPV and p53 overexpression commonly coexist in oropharyngeal and penile carcinomas. OBJECTIVE To searc...

When the stem cells population is destroyed or their supporting stromal environment is dysfunctional, limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) manifests. Clinically, LSCD carries the hallmark of conjunctivalisation— that is, the corneal surface is covered by ingrowing conjunctival epithelium containing goblet cells. Conjunctivalisation is invariably associated with the destruction of the basement mem...

PURPOSE To compare the long-term clinical outcomes of cultivated limbal epithelial transplantation (CLET) in children and adults with limbal stem cell deficiency. DESIGN Retrospective case series. METHODS Case records of patients with limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) who underwent CLET from April 2004 to December 2014 were studied. Outcome measures were compared in terms of anatomical suc...

Simple Limbal Epithelial Transplantation (SLET) has been proposed recently for care of total Limbal Stem Cell Deficiency (LSCD) secondary to alkali burn of cornea [1]. Reportedly it combines advantages of conjunctival limbal auto grafting [2] and cultivated limbal epithelial transplantation [3] by being a single-stage, affordable procedure utilizing minimal donor tissue. Besides, it is also rep...