Abstract
The bioengineering of corneal endothelial grafts consists in seeding in vitro cultured corneal endothelial cells onto a thin, transparent, biocompatible, and sufficiently robust carrier which can withstand surgical manipulations. This method represents one of the most viable alternatives to donor corneas, which are in chronic global shortage. The anterior capsule of the crystalline lens has already been identified as one of the best possible carriers, but its challenging manual preparation limited its use. In this study, we describe a femtosecond laser cutting process applied to the human anterior capsule of whole lenses in order to obtain capsule discs of 8 mm diameter, similar to conventional endothelial grafts. Circular marks made on the periphery of the disc indicate its orientation. Immersion in water for 3 days is sufficient to completely remove the lens epithelial cells. Finally, human corneal endothelial cells seeded onto decellularized capsules demonstrate a sustainable cell density over 4 weeks. This method provides a transparent, decellularized disc ready to use for producing tissue-engineered endothelial grafts.
