Abstract
Presentation Description :
Exosomes are nano-sized extracellular vesicles that contain constituents of cells that secret them. The therapeutic potential of extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by cells to mediate cell-cell communication has been a topic of increasing interest. EVs derived from mesenchymal stem cells, in particular human corneal stromal stem cells, have antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, and regenerative effects in injured corneas. To translate this finding to clinic, scale up of EV production is necessary. One approach is immortalization of mesenchymal stem cells. EVs isolated from immortalized stem cells retained their anti-fibrotic function as demonstrated in both in vitro assays and in vivo mouse corneal wounding model. Further studies are warrant to further investigate the therapeutic potential of these EVs for the treatment of corneal wound healing and regeneration.
This abstract was presented at the 2023 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in New Orleans, LA, April 23-27, 2023.