Isolation, Cultivation and Characterization of Human Corneal Endothelial Cells.

Swetha Sara Philip, Zia Sultan Pradhan, Thomas Kuriakose, Alok Srivastava, Augustine Thambaiah P., S.Senthilnathan, Anna Pulimood, Geeta Chacko

The corneal endothelium which is responsible for corneal transparency has a limited in-vivo proliferative capacity.  Therefore, an irreversible loss of endothelial cells is treated by corneal transplantation. The paucity of donor tissue has generated an interest in bioengineered human corneal endothelial cells (HCECs). In vitro proliferation of HCECs has been made possible by the development of defined culture conditions and use growth factors. This is probably due to the presence of adult stem cells which have been isolated using sphere forming assays.

We are attempting to isolate HCECs using enzymatic treatment or mechanical debridement and culture them in media supplemented with growth factors. We then propose to expand these on amniotic membrane which will act as a carrier for transplantation. Morphology and functionality of these corneal endothelial cells will be evaluated.