title: Ocular surface reconstruction using stem cell and tissue engineering.
abstract: Most human sensory information is gained through eyesight, and integrity of the ocular surface, including cornea and conjunctiva, is known to be indispensable for good vision. It is believed that severe damage to corneal epithelial stem cells results in devastating ocular surface disease, and many researchers and scientists have tried to reconstruct the ocular surface using medical and surgical approaches. Ocular surface reconstruction via regenerative therapy is a newly developed medical field that promises to be the next generation of therapeutic modalities, based on the use of tissue-specific stem cells to generate biological substitutes and improve tissue functions. The accomplishment of these objectives depends on three key factors: stem cells, which have highly proliferative capacities and longevities; the substrates determining the environmental niche; and growth factors that support them appropriately. This manuscript describes the diligent development of ocular surface reconstruction using tissue engineering techniques, both past and present, and discusses and validates their future use for regenerative therapy in this field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Frontier Medical Sciences and Technology for Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan. Electronic address: tnakamur@koto.kpu-m.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Inatomi
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Chie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sotozono
authors.affiliation: Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koizumi
authors.affiliation: Department of Frontier Medical Sciences and Technology for Ophthalmology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Shigeru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kinoshita
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003228:Conjunctiva / Q000166:cytology; D003316:Corneal Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D019573:Epithelium, Corneal / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D016850:Limbus Corneae / Q000166:cytology*; D044968:Regenerative Medicine; D033581:Stem Cell Transplantation; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Growth factor; Ocular surface; Regenerative medicine; Severe ocular surface disease; Stem cell; Tissue engineering