Sutureless collagen gel repair for corneal scarring
Official title: Corneal Scar Repair through SPAACKL: Sutureless, Pro-regenerative Anterior Additive Collagen gel KeratopLasty
Funded at Stanford University · NIH-11250132 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This work tests a suture-free, transparent collagen gel with healing cells to replace scarred cornea tissue and help people with vision loss from corneal scars.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Stanford University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Stanford, United States) |
| Project start | March 1, 2022 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $498,999 |
| NIH project number | 5R01EY033363-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11250132 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
People with vision-impairing stromal corneal scars from injury or disease who are candidates for surgical scar removal and seek alternatives to donor transplants.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with active eye infection, extensive damage involving deeper corneal layers or the endothelium, or other eye diseases not limited to stromal scarring may not benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
If your cornea has a scar that reduces your vision, this approach removes the scar and fills the defect with a liquid collagen gel that contains corneal healing cells and then becomes a clear, tissue-like layer in minutes. The gel uses a copper-free click chemistry that is designed to be safe and not react with your eye's proteins or cells. The cellularized gel aims to recreate a smooth surface so the eye can re-grow its outer layer quickly and restore clarity without needing donor tissue. Researchers are refining the materials and cell delivery so the procedure can be done without sutures and with faster visual recovery.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: Could restore corneal clarity and improve vision without relying on scarce donor corneas or full transplant surgery.
How similar studies have gone: Related cell-seeded corneal scaffold methods have shown promise in animal studies and early human work, but a sutureless, copper-free click-chemistry collagen gel is a novel application.
Where this research is happening
-
Stanford University
Stanford, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Myung, David — Stanford University
- Study coordinator: Myung, David
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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.