Mesostructured composite chitosan membranes for the reconstruction of Corneal Tissue

• Applicants: Dr.-Ing. Gregor Lang; Dr. Sarah Zwingelberg
• Subject Area: Ophthalmology ; Biomaterials
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 525934737

Corneal diseases rank third among causes of blindness worldwide. Treatment for corneal blindness often involves corneal tissue transplantation. There is a massive shortage of donor corneas worldwide. Biomaterials could help address this shortage. The aim of this study is the investigation of biomaterials for corneal replacement based on chitosan with respect to their biocompatibility with human corneas in the organ culture model or with corneal cells (epithelium, endothelial cells and keratocytes). For this purpose, membranes are currently being developed by the Working Group for Biopolymer Processing of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Würzburg under the direction of Prof. G. Lang in cooperation with the Center for Ophthalmology of the University Hospital Cologne.

• DFG Programme: Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 2416: CodeChi - Chitin, chitosan and chito-oligosaccharides and their interaction with proteins of the extracellular matrix and cellular signaling