Holoclar Restores Burn-Injured Corneal Surfaces

After chemical or physical eye burns, researchers tested whether a patient’s own remaining limbal cells could rebuild a stable corneal surface, the clear front of the eye. From a 1-2 mm² biopsy of the healthy limbus, the narrow tissue ring at the cornea’s edge, they expanded and cryopreserved corneal epithelial cells, the surface cells that protect the eye. The cells were then thawed onto a fibrin membrane, a temporary biological scaffold, and implanted after damaged surface tissue was removed. One year later, 75 of 104 adults met the success criteria: a stable surface without epithelial defects, with little or no ingrowth of blood vessels. Pain and inflammation decreased, and vision improved. The graft supplies replacement surface cells while retaining limbal stem cells, a reservoir that can continue replenishing the cornea.