Abstract
Presentation Description :
Mesenchymal stem cells from corneal stroma prevent scarring and induce regeneration of organized transparent stromal tissue in animal models and in human trials. Mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical chord, adipose tissue, and bone marrow all appear to posses a similar regenerative potential. The regenerative pathway in cornea is initiated by interaction between stem cells and immune cells. Stem cells control the number and type of immune cells infiltrating into the cornea and interactions between stem and immune cells induce a regenerative phenotype in stem cells that results in secretion of TGFB3. We will discuss properties of the regenerative phenotype of adult stem cells and the mechanism that induces this novel cellular condition.
This is an abstract that was submitted for the 2018 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Honolulu, Hawaii, April 29 - May 3, 2018.