Scientists In Seoul Create 3-D Printed Artificial Corneas Made Of Bioink Produced From Stem Cells

Scientists from Seoul have developed artificial corneas using bio-ink made of stem cells that can mimic the human eye. The developed cornea is made of corneal tissue-derived bio-ink consists of decellularised corneal stroma and stem cells but will be limited to develop given different cornea-related properties, reports The Tribune.

Researchers at the Pohang University of Science and Technology and Kyungpook National University successfully produced transparent artificial cornea by regulating the shear stress to control the pattern of collagen fibrils. The development may help reduce the need for eye donations when there is a severely damaged cornea, which typically would take several years to get an eye donation.

The scientists previously used to develop artificial cornea using a combination of collagen or chemical substances such as a synthetic polymer. These corneas would not incorporate well with the eye nor were transparent after the cornea transplant and have limited microstructures to penetrate light.

3D printing processes in which materials are joined or solidified under computer control to create a three-dimensional object with the material being added together typically layer by layer.