Corneal Regeneration
The Griffith Lab is the world's leading developer of biomimetic corneal implants.
Collagen-Mimetic Peptide-Based Implants
Collagen-mimetic peptides are short-peptides designed to mimic the self-assembly of collagen fibrils. The Griffith group has published two articles, including pre-clinical studies, on the use of these peptides in the creation of corneal implants.
Recombinant Human Collagen Phosphorylcholine Implants
Phosphorylcholine is an inflammation suppressing polymer that assists the collagen-based hydrogel in reducing swelling and haze in patients with high-risk cornea pathologies.
Patient corneas before and after grafting with RHCIII-MPC implants at last follow-up. Patients are divided into three groups based on their pre-operative diagnoses: infection (herpes simplex viral and fungal keratitis), burns (alkali and thermal) and other (failed graft and post-stroke neurotrophic keratitis). Post-operation, regenerated neocorneas from Patients 1 and 2 are mostly clear. In Patients 3 and 4, where stem cell deficiency is present, some superficial vessels concurrent with conjunctival invasion are seen. Patient 5 has a mostly clear cornea encircled by blood vessels but has invaded in one quadrant, while Patient 6’s cornea remains hazy. Patient 2 has an unrelated nasal pterygium. Islam et al. NPJ Regen Med. 2018:31;3:2. Reproduced under a CC BY 4.0 license.
Recombinant Human Collagen Type III Implants
RHCIII implants were the first biomimetic, regenerative implants successfully used in human clinical trials.
Slit lamp biomicroscopy images of the corneas of all 10 patients at 4 years after grafting with a biosynthetic implant.