Tissue Engineering for Conjunctival Reconstruction: Established Methods and Future Outlooks

Abstract

Reconstruction of the conjunctiva is an essential part of ocular surface regeneration, especially if an extensive area or the whole ocular surface is affected, such as in patients with ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis, or chemical/thermal burns. In these situations, corneal reconstruction almost inevitably fails unless the conjunctival surface is first repaired and a deep fornix is restored. The growing field of tissue engineering and advances in stem cell research offer promising new alternatives for these challenges. This article reviews the present approaches for reconstruction of the conjunctival surface, considering the established strategies and new potential methodologies.

KEYWORDS::

• Cell therapy
• Conjunctiva
• Ocular surface
• Ocular surface reconstruction
• Tissue engineering

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported in part by the Special Trustees of Moorfields Eye Hospital, a research fellowship grant (SCHR 1210/1-1) from the “Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)”, NIHR BMRC for Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital, the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology (JTD), and Gertrud Kusen Stiftung.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflict of interest. The authors alone are respponsible for the content and writing of the paper.