Mini review: human clinical studies of stem cell therapy in keratoconus

Abstract

Treatment of keratoconus is one of the most interesting research fields for researchers in the world. Regenerative medicine based on human stem cells in the treatment of keratoconus has recently received attention. Despite extensive laboratory and animal studies in regenerative medicine of cornea, there are limited clinical studies in keratoconus. These studies showed promising results of stem cell therapy. In initial studies, the transplantation of these cells into stroma was associated with increased vision and improved corneal parameters without side effects. In this article, we tried to review different aspects of keratoconus stem cell therapy, including cell extraction and culture, surgical procedure, effectiveness and safety of this method in human clinical studies.

Keywords: Keratoconus; Keratocytes; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Regenerative Medicine; Stem Cell Therapy.

Fig. 1

Ocular finding of the 32 years old after intrastromal injection of ASCs. Top: Preoperative data in the patient with BCVA of 0.3 with the mean equivalent refraction of -9.50D and the mean central corneal thickness of 423 μm. Bottom: 6 months postoperative data in the same patient with BCVA of 0.5 with mean equivalent refraction of -8.50D and the mean central corneal thickness of 432 μm. Left: The anterior keratometry of the patient, Middle: The posterior keratometry of the patient, Right: Corneal confocal biomicroscopy: in the anterior stroma ASCs (round and small cells) differentiated to new keratocytes (large, elongated and luminous cells)