Subretinal Transplant of Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Pigment Epithelium on Nanostructured Fibrin-Agarose

Abstract

In the promising field of cellular therapy for retinal degenerative diseases, a new biomaterial is proposed as a scaffold to grow and surgically introduce a monolayer of retinal pigment epithelial cells into the subretinal space, keeping the orientation of the cells for a proper functional integration of the transplant. The use of induced pluripotent stem cells as the starting material for retinal pigment epithelial cells is intended to advance toward a personalized medicine approach.

Keywords: fibrin-agarose hydrogel; induced pluripotent stem cells; macular degeneration; retinal pigment epithelium; subretinal implant.