Biodegradable implants for keratoplasty
A new Russian development will help to cure corneal defects of the eye
Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) and Siberian State Medical University (SibSMU) have created a new method of treating severe corneal disease. According to them, the technique they developed for restoring the cornea in bullous keratopathy is much safer and more effective than analogues, since it uses biodegradable material and stem cells. This was reported in the press service of the TPU.
Bullous keratopathy is a dangerous eye disease that leads to vision loss. It is caused by defects in the inner layer of the cornea, as a result of which intraocular fluid penetrates into the cornea, forming bubbles (bullae), and causing its edema.
The surgical method of treating this disease – barrier keratoplasty – allows you to restore the shape and function of the cornea. During it, the damaged area is reinforced with a special polymer film implant that restores the normal exchange of fluids inside the eye.
TPU and SibSMU scientists are developing new biodegradable implants "loaded" with blood stem cells, which will be used in keratoplasty to restore the cornea of the eye.
A sample of a film based on polylactic acid. Photo: TPU press service.
"We have used biodegradable implants made of polylactic acid in keratoplasty for the first time. According to preliminary results, films made of this material can effectively deliver stem cells to the damaged area of the cornea. In addition, their use not only makes the surgical procedure much less traumatic, but also does not require repeated intervention to remove them from the eye," said Ekaterina Filippova, assistant of the Department of Ophthalmology at SibSMU.
The introduction of stem cells to the damaged area, according to scientists, provokes an active reaction of the body to the inflammatory process. As the experimental stage showed, the restoration of normal corneal function takes place within a month, and the implant resolves completely in about six months.
"Our task as physicists is to choose an effective, but gentle method of sterilization for the material. This is a necessary step for the further development of the work. Sterilization contributes to the death of vegetative and spore forms of pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms in sterilized products in contact with the wound surface, blood or mucous membrane. However, there are concerns about the loss of material properties after processing. In our experiments, we process the material using plasma, steam, hybrid methods combining, for example, plasma and gamma radiation," says Nina Ivanova, an engineer at the B.P. Weinberg TPU Scientific and Educational Center.
Currently, the research team, together with specialists from the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, is completing the development of implants of a more effective form – the so-called track membranes made of polylactic acid.
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