Scientists have 3D printed an artificial cornea made from a bioink of decellularised corneal stroma and stem cells, which has a similar transparency to a human cornea.
Many researchers have tried to replicate the human cornea but have struggled to produce a product free from recombinant collagen and chemical substances, which has the cornea’s pattern of collagen fibrils. To solve this, a Korean research team used the shear stress created from the frictional force of the ink passing through the nozzle in the 3D printing process to manufacture the corneal lattice pattern.
Professors Dong-Woo Cho, Jinah Jang and Hong Kyun Kim, together with Hyeonji Kim, from the Kyungpook National University School of Medicine successfully demonstrated their artificial cornea was also biocompatible. “We believe it will give hope to many patients suffered from cornea-related diseases,” said Prof Jang.
