An Optimized Method to Produce Human-Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Limbal Stem Cells Easily Adaptable for Clinical Use

In adults, the limbal stem cells (LSC) reside in the limbal region of the eye, at the junction of the cornea and the sclera where they renew the outer epithelial layer of the cornea assuring transparency. LSC deficiencies (LSCD) due to disease or injury account for one of the major causes of blindness. Among current treatments for LSCD, cornea transparency can be restored by providing new LSC to the damaged eye and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) holds great promise as a new advanced cell source. A synthetic mRNA-based protocol to produce human iPSC from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells has been defined. The results demonstrate a standardizable method that can be easily adaptable for clinical-grade production standards, produce high-purity LSC-like cells in a relatively rapid timeframe of 12 days, and can be successfully seeded on amniotic membrane or a biodegradable fibrin gel for transplantation. In vivo data demonstrated it is feasible to transplant the iPSC-LSC fibrin patch. In conclusion, an efficient method has been developed to produce patient-specific LSC and seed them on a scaffold fibrin gel for future treatment of LSC-deficiency disease.