Clinic大学的研究人员证实，他们设计的一种新的成体干细胞培养方法能够使成体干细胞高效长成角膜干细胞。

　　眼科专家Ana  Fernández  Hortelano证实，这种培养技术已经成功用于治疗70只兔子的角膜疾病。该研究的目的是希望能够修复受损的上皮细胞并因此恢复角膜的透明。

　　这项研究证实了利用来自健康眼睛的角膜干细胞来治疗人的角膜病变是可行的。这项技术目前正在被用于人类患者，并且获得了满意的结果。

　　这项研究分为两个主要部分。一方面，该研究论文描述了一种新的细胞培养方法的设计，另一方面则证实了这个过程的临床应用价值。 
                           
　　两个阶段的培养

　　这项研究显示，源于活组织切片样本的新培养技术能够使干细胞的数量增加，从而获得足够用于有效治疗的细胞。细胞样本从健康眼睛的limb（负责角膜透明的眼睛结构）获得。

　　这种培养方法的重点在于它使获得的细胞保持其特征。这种方法将塑料芯片与一种羊膜芯片结合起来。这种技术的新颖之处集中在使用塑料芯片的第一阶段。从健康眼睛获得的组织片段分割成更小的片段以便于在芯片上培养。

　　组织片段的数量越多就能获得更多数量的干细胞“晕圈”。然后，将获得的细胞样本送到解剖病理学实验室进行细胞的可用性和治疗鉴定。

　　证实后，将这些细胞转移到羊膜上继续培养，这种膜很适合培养用于眼睛再生治疗的干细胞移植。

　　一旦放在羊膜上，这些干细胞以一种均一的方式扩散，从而确保更好的细胞等同性，以便于选择最适合用于治疗的单元。这种方法能够精确地找到用于眼睛细胞移植的细胞群，保证了被移植细胞的质量和数量。

英文原文：

Date:

July 22, 2007

New Method Of Adult Stem Cell Growth Treats Cornea Disorders

Science Daily — A new method of adult stem cell growth, designed in the Area of Cellular Therapy of the University Clinic (University of Navarra), has demonstrated its efficacy for its capacity to grow cornea stem cells. So Ana Fernández Hortelano, ophthalmologist at the Hospital demonstrated applying the growth technique in treating diseases of the cornea, using stem cells, in 70 test animals (rabbits). The aim of the procedure was to regain the damaged epithelium and thus restore transparency to the cornea.

In concrete, the thesis defended by doctor Fernández Hortelano at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Navarra, proves the therapeutic efficiency in using corneal stem cells in patients with pathologies of the cornea, such as caustications or ocular herpes, by using stem cells from a healthy contralateral eye. The technique is being currently applied to patients with satisfactory results.

The research has two essential parts. On the one hand, it describes the design of a new method of cell growth and, on the other, explains the clinical application of the procedure.

Growth in two stages

The research undertaken by the ophthalmologist has shown that, from a small biopsy sample, the new growth technique enables the growth of the number of stem cells thus obtained to the point of obtaining sufficient for the treatment to be effective. The cell sample is taken from the limb of the healthy eye – the ocular structure responsible for the transparency of the cornea.

The importance of this growth method lies in the fact that it enables the characterisation of the cells obtained, i.e. determining the quantity and viability of the units to be used.

The method developed combines culture on a plastic chip with that of an amniotic membrane one. The novelty of the technique focuses on the first stage – where the plastic chip is used. The fragment of tissue obtained from the healthy eye divides into smaller fractions which are grown on the chip. Thus a greater number of halos of stem cells are obtained (as many as the fragments of tissue). A sample of the cells obtained are then sent the Anatomic Pathology laboratory where the viability and quality of the cell units are verified.

The cells are transferred to the amniotic membrane growth culture, one that is highly suitable when dealing with stem cells that are to be transplanted for ocular regeneration treatment.

Once in the amniotic membrane, the stem cells expand in a homogeneous manner, enabling a better cell identification in order to select the most suitable units for the treatment. This method permits finding out with precision the cell population that we are implanting in the eye and to verify, thereby, both the quality and quantity of the cells transplanted.

Clinical application

The second part of the research involved the clinical application of the adult stem cells transplant in rabbits, which previously have had an epithelial corneal lesion induced, causing loss of corneal transparency. This is a pathology that does not respond to a corneal transplant nor to other conventional treatment.

The procedure used by Dr Fernández Hortelano involved obtaining this type of cell – corneal stem cells – by means of a biopsy of cells from a healthy eye of the rabbit. This is a small sample of cells - 3 by 4 mm - and so the contrateral eye is not in danger. A tiny number of cells thus being involved, it is necessary to grow the samples in order to obtain greater numbers of cells, an expansion achieved by transferring the culture to the amniotic membrane.

                                                      摘自《生物谷》