MEC ImpactReport 2023 flipbook - Flipbook - Page 11
11
£387,578
invested in corneal /
surface of the eye
research in last 3 years
The inner lining of cells
(the endothelium) is
the driver of around
40% of all corneal
transplants in the UK
Demand for donor
corneas for
transplantation is
outstripping availability
by around 70 times.
By growing donor cells
from older people on this
extracellular matrix, the
team were successfully able
to grow and then isolate
corneal endothelial cells in the
lab, offering new promise to
the vision of growing these
cells for transplantation into
patients in the future.
corneal endothelial cells, since
when these exosomes were
added the cells grew more
slowly and died at a greater
rate than when they were
not present.
Growing corneal cells
Growing corneal endothelial
cells in the lab is notoriously
difficult, and Saj’s work under
the charity’s research support
made several new and exciting
discoveries which have
contributed to progression in
this area.
First, his team discovered that
the extracellular matrix is
important for optimising the
growth of corneal endothelial
cells in the lab, thanks to the
presence of specific proteins
and growth factors – 20 of
which were found to be unique
to the corneal endothelium.
Saj’s team also explored the
role of extracellular sacs
(called exosomes) in the
growth of these endothelial
cells. They found, for the first
time, that these exosomes
actually inhibit the growth of
Looking deeper at why this
might be, they discovered 13
molecules (microRNAs) that
specifically slow the growth
of these cells and encourage
cell death, which offers a new
understanding of why these
cells are so tricky to grow and
maintain in the lab, and may
help scientists to grow them
more easily in the future.
This research could have a huge global clinical impact. Growing corneal endothelial
cells in the lab would mean that one donated cornea could be used to treat many patients,
reducing the worldwide shortage of human donor corneas and lowering the number of
patients waiting for a corneal transplant.
Saj Ahmad, Consultant ophthalmic surgeon, Moorfields Eye Hospital
What next?
After such an exciting and fruitful programme of work, Saj and his team are keen to keep
working on understanding how we can best grow human corneal endothelial cells in the lab
and hopefully one day offer patients a new treatment option to help protect their vision.