Epithelial cell transfer for severe corneal disease

We have developed a unique transfer technique which utilizes cells cultured on a therapeutic contact lens and propose that this may be a potentially novel treatment strategy for patients suffering severe corneal disease where corneal epithelial wound healing is not properly regulated, possibly as a consequence of stem cell damage, stem cell failure or stem cell depletion. Currently, patients are treated by grafting foreign or autologous stem cells that are cultured in the presence of animal products or by using techniques which involve growing ocular stem cells on amniotic membrane (foreign biological material) then transferring these cells along with the amniotic membrane to the damaged cornea. Our proposed system would be entirely autologous.