Review and perspective of tissue engineering therapy for the treatment of corneal endothelial decompensation

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Tissue engineering therapy for the treatment of corneal endothelial decompensation was proposed in the 1970s. In 2013, a clinical trial of the injection of cultured human corneal endothelial cells into the anterior chamber of patients with corneal endothelial decompensation was started in Japan.

Areas covered

The aim of this paper is to outline the previous research and current trends in research on cell therapy for the treatment of corneal endothelial decompensation. Our recent clinical trial of cultured corneal endothelial cell injection will also be introduced.

Expert opinion

Clinical trials are planned by multiple groups and companies, and the authors speculate that more than one cellular therapy product will soon be on the market.

KEYWORDS:

• Corneal endothelium
• corneal endothelial decompensation
• regenerative medicine
• cell therapy
• Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Dr Shigeru Kinoshita, Dr Chie Sotozono, Dr Morio Ueno, Dr Junji Hamuro, Dr Takahiro Nakamura, Dr Hiroko Nakagawa, Dr Michio Hagiya, Dr EunDuck P. Kay, Dr Makiko Nakahara, Mr Junji Kitano, Mr Ryohei Numata, Mr Hiroatsu Hirano, Mr Shinichiro Nakano, Mr Ryota Inoue, Mr Kazuya Kakutani, Ms Ayaka Kusakabe, Ms Akane Hongo, Mr Yugo Okazaki, Mr Takato Kagami, Mr Daiki Matsumoto, Mr Tomoki Shimada, Mr Kensei Fukushima, Mr Hirofumi Imai, Mr Hiroaki Kobayashi, Mr Tetta Kurosawa, Dr Yuji Sakamoto, Dr Shinichiro Nakamura for their invaluable advice and contributions.

Declaration of interest

Naoki Okumura reports gaining grants from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as well as personal fees from ActualEyes Inc, during the conduct of the study. And personal fees from Santen Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, Senju Pharmaceutical Co Ltd and Kowa Co LTD, outside the submitted work. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Supplementary material

Supplemental data for this article can be accessed here.

Additional information

Funding

This paper is not funded.