| Although cells have been cultured outside the body for many years, research has only recently begun to develop complex three-dimensional tissue constructs that will ideally mature into fully functional tissues and organs. Tissue engineering is an emerging field in the area of biotechnology which combines the principles and methods of life sciences with those of engineering for the purpose of regenerating, repairing or replacing diseased tissues.
Many tissue-engineered constructs have been devised to treat numerous ocular surface disorders associated with ocular surface tissues such as cornea and conjunctiva. Primarily, these diseases and disorders include Stevens-Johnson syndrome, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, dry eye syndrome, Sjögren’s syndrome, chemical or thermal burns, pterygia, and conjunctival tumors. The prevention, modulation or elimination of these disorders may be favorably achieved by transplantation of the appropriate tissue that has been cultivated and engineered on a natural or synthetic scaffold. We will discuss the recent advances and current development of tissue engineering approaches as related to the ocular surface system, which comprises the three main integrated tissue units: conjunctiva, cornea and lacrimal glands.
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