Cell-free treatments to restore the cornea in limbal stem cell deficiency
Development of cell-free approaches to the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency
Developing cell-free therapies to help people with limbal stem cell deficiency regain a healthy corneal surface and improve vision.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Washington NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11329419 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
Researchers are studying how limbal stem cells marked by ABCB5 maintain and regenerate the corneal surface using human donor tissues and advanced single-cell RNA sequencing. The team aims to identify secreted factors or other cell-free signals that could be turned into off-the-shelf therapies so patients would not need donor limbal tissue. Work builds on preclinical findings that ABCB5-positive cells can restore corneas in animal models and on early clinical efforts with the cells themselves. Laboratory experiments, animal models, and analysis of human samples will be used to discover and test candidate cell-free treatments.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: People with limbal stem cell deficiency, especially those with bilateral disease who lack usable limbal tissue from their other eye, would be ideal candidates.
Not a fit: People whose vision loss stems from retinal or optic nerve disease, or whose corneal damage goes beyond the epithelial layer and requires full-thickness transplantation, may not benefit.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could provide an off-the-shelf therapy to repair the corneal surface in patients with limbal stem cell deficiency without needing donor tissue or transplantation.
How similar studies have performed: Preclinical studies showed ABCB5-positive limbal stem cells can restore corneas in animals and cell-based clinical trials are underway, while purely cell-free approaches are relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Seattle, United States
- University of Washington — Seattle, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sasamoto, Yuzuru — University of Washington
- Study coordinator: Sasamoto, Yuzuru
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.