Corneas: Tissue Engineering

The human cornea is a complex structure dependent on the functional cooperation of epithelial, stromal, and endothelial cells, as well as in-growing corneal nerves. Despite biological limitations, there has been sustained, systematic progress towards a tissue engineered (TE) cornea. Overall, it is now possible to control the strength and optical clarity of noncytotoxic, biosynthetic composites to the point that TE corneal replacements could address shortages of donor corneas. This entry focuses primarily on the development of scaffolding for transplantable, engineered corneal replacements.