Tissue Engineering of a Biomechanically Stable Conjunctival Substitute for Fornix Reconstruction

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Stefan Schrader
• Subject Area: Ophthalmology
• Term: from 2008 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 61929395

Severe conjunctival and corneal scarring can be found in many ocular surface disorders and in severe cases results in complete corneal opacification and blindness. In these eyes visual rehabilitation by means of corneal transplantation frequently fails, if the conjunctival fornix is not reconstructed first. Amniotic membrane (AM) has been shown to be a suitable conjunctival substitute, as it is thin, elastic, well tolerated and does not cause, but reduces local inflammation. However, in eyes with persistent inflammation such as mucous membrane pemphigoid AM grafts often rapidly dissolves due to the presence of proteolytic enzymes and the absence of stem cells, resulting in a lack of re-epithelialization. The biomechanical strength and resistance of the AM against enzymatic digestion can be significantly increased by cross-linking its collagen matrix with glutaraldehyde and reepithelialisation can be enhanced using epithelialized AM. Aims of this project are to establish an optimized cross-linking protocol for AM to mimic the biomechanical properties of human conjunctiva; to test conjunctival, oral and nasal epithelium on cross-linked AM for tissue engineering of a conjunctival equivalent in vitro; to evaluate the effect of crosslinked AM on proliferation, migration, differentiation, viability and stem cell survival of the three different epithelia; and to retest the biomechanical properties of the epithelialized construct. The ultimate goal of the project is to obtain a biomechanically stable conjunctival construct for clinical use and to test it in a clinical trial.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: United Kingdom
• Hosts: Dr. Michèle Beaconsfield; Dr. Stephen Tuft