Methods and compositions for growing corneal endothelial and related cells on biopolymers and creation of artifical corneal transplants

摘要

This invention discloses methods to attach and grow a monolayer of cultured humancorneal endothelial cells onto the endothelial side of the stroma synthesizedfrom biopolymer to generate a more bio-equivalent artificial cornea. The approacheswill include the use of attachment and growthpromoting agents such as fibronectin,laminin, RGDS, collagen type IV, bFGF conjugated with polycarbophil, and EGFconjugated with polycarbophil. The patent also describes a method to createa self-sustaining polymer containing adhesive molecules and growth factorsto support the attachment and proliferation of cultured human corneal endothelialcells for corneal transplantation either as a half ­thickness device orfull-thickness button replacement. An approach for the implantation of culturedretinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells into the sub-retinal space for treatmentof age-related macular degeneration (ARMD) is disclosed in this invention.This method will enable the delivery of the transplanted RPE in a sheet of monolayercells and will be better suited to perform their physiological function.