A METHOD FOR CULTIVATING CELLS DERIVED FROM CORNEAL LIMBAL TISSUE AND CELLS DERIVED FROM CORNEAL LIM

摘要

The present inventors have found that corneal limbal stem cells, which can be used to treat diseases associated with cornea can be obtained by a method for cultivating corneal limbal stem cells characterized in that the method comprises the steps of: embedding the corneal limbal tissue within an aqueous solution in a low temperature sol state wherein the aqueous solution contains at least a hydrogel-forming polymer showing thermo-reversible sol-gel transition and wherein the aqueous solution is in a sol state at a low temperature and is in a gel state at a high temperature; heating the said aqueous solution to cultivate the said corneal limbal tissue within the said hydrogel in a high temperature gel state so that the corneal limbal stem cells spread and grow outside of the said corneal limbal tissue; cooling the said hydrogel to return from the gel state to a low temperature sol state; and collecting the spread and grown cells derived from corneal limbal tissue.