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Rapid tissue engineering of biomimetic human corneal limbal crypts with 3D niche architecture.

Levis, HJ; Massie, I; Dziasko, MA; Kaasi, A; Daniels, JT; (2013) Rapid tissue engineering of biomimetic human corneal limbal crypts with 3D niche architecture. Biomaterials , 34 (35) pp. 8860-8868. 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.08.002. Green open access

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Abstract

Limbal epithelial stem cells are responsible for the maintenance of the human corneal epithelium and these cells reside in a specialised stem cell niche. They are located at the base of limbal crypts, in a physically protected microenvironment in close proximity to a variety of neighbouring niche cells. Design and recreation of elements of various stem cell niches have allowed researchers to simplify aspects of these complex microenvironments for further study in vitro. We have developed a method to rapidly and reproducibly create bioengineered limbal crypts (BLCs) in a collagen construct using a simple one-step method. Liquid is removed from collagen hydrogels using hydrophilic porous absorbers (HPAs) that have custom moulded micro-ridges on the base. The resulting topography on the surface of the thin collagen constructs resembles the dimensions of the stromal crypts of the human limbus. Human limbal epithelial cells seeded onto the surface of the constructs populate these BLCs and form numerous layers with a high proportion of the cells lining the crypts expressing putative stem cell marker, p63α. The HPAs are produced using a moulding process that is flexible and can be adapted depending on the requirements of the end user. Creation of defined topographical features using this process could be applicable to numerous tissue-engineering applications where varied 3-dimensional niche architectures are required.

Type: Article
Title: Rapid tissue engineering of biomimetic human corneal limbal crypts with 3D niche architecture.
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.08.002
Publisher version: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2013.08.0...
Additional information: �© 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.
Keywords: Bioengineered limbal crypt, Biomimetic material, Collagen, Cornea, Limbal stem cell niche, Ophthalmology
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Institute of Ophthalmology
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1404938
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