Cornea Tissue Engineering

A major challenge in corneal tissue engineering and lamellar corneal transplantation is to develop synthetic scaffolds able to simulate the optical and mechanical properties of the native cornea as highly innervated and avascular tissue. The fabricated substrates must be transparent, biodegradable, permeable to gas and liquid, with mechanical properties and fiber alignment similar to native corneal tissue. Therefore, we utilized electrospun fibers with aligned morphology as well as composite hydrogel-based inks with nanofibrils of silk as two approaches to culture the corneal cells. We showed the electrospun fibers are bio- and immunocompatible and supported the viability of human corneal cells without triggering effects in granulocytes and peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Related Papers:

  • A. Farasatkia, M. Kharaziha*, F. Ashrafizade, S. Salehi*, Silk fibril (SNF)/ gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hybrid films with high transparency as a corneal substitute, Materials Science and Engineering C 2021, 120, 111744. 
  • S. Salehi*, M. Czugala, P. Stafiej, M.H. Fathi, T. Bahners, J.S. Gutmann, B.B Singer, T.A. Fuchsluger, Poly (glycerol sebacate)-Poly (ε-caprolactone) Blend Nanofibrous Scaffold as Intrinsic Bio- and Immunocompatible System for Corneal Repair, Acta Biomaterialia 2017, 50C, 370-380.
  • S. Salehi, M.H. Fathi, Sh. HaghjooyJavanmard, M. Moshayedi, F. Barneh, Fabrication and Characterization of Biodegradable Polymeric Films for Corneal Stroma Tissue Engineering, Journal of Advanced Biomedical Research 2015, 4:9.
  • S. Salehi*, T. Bahners, J.S. Gutmann, E. Mäder, S.L. Gao, T.A. Fuchsluger, Characterization of Structural, Mechanical and Nano-Mechanical Properties of Electrospun PGS/PCL Fibers, RSC Advances 2014, 4, 16951.
  • S. Salehi*, M.H. Fathi, Sh. HaghjooyJavanmard, T. Bahners, J.S. Gutmann, S. Ergün, K.P. Steuhl, T.A. Fuchsluger, Generation of PGS/PCL-Blend Nanofibrous Scaffolds Mimicking Corneal Stroma Structure, Macromolecular Materials Engineering 2014, 299, 455–69.
  • T. Fuchsluger, S. Salehi, C. Petsch, B. Bachmann, New possibilities for ocular surface reconstruction: collagen membranes and biocompatible elastomer nanofibers, Ophthalmologie 2014, 111 (11), 1019–26.
  • S. Salehi*, A. Grünert, T. Bahners, J.S. Gutmann, K.P. Steuhl, M. Czugala, B.B. Singer, T.A. Fuchsluger, New Nanofibrous Scaffold for Corneal Tissue Engineering, Klinische Monats blätter für Augenheilkunde 2014, 231, 626–30.
  • V.J. Wicklein, B.B. Singer, T. Scheibel, S. Salehi *, Chapter 17: Nanoengineered biomaterials for corneal regeneration, 379-415, Book title: “Nanoengineered Biomaterials for Regenerative Medicine” 1st Edition, edited by Kaplan D., Rajadas J. and Mozafari M., Publisher: Elsevier 2019. ISBN: 9780128133552.