Corneal injuries and degenerative conditions have major socioeconomic consequences,
given that in most cases, they result in blindness. In the quest of the ideal therapy, tissue …

Whilst demonstrated extensively in vitro, the control of cell behaviour via modulation of
substrate compliance in live tissues has not been accomplished to date. Here we propose …

Homeostasis of the corneal epithelium is ultimately maintained by stem cells that reside in a
specialized microenvironment within the corneal limbus termed palisades of Vogt. This …

Recent studies have established that the phenotype of epithelial stem cells residing in the
corneal periphery (the limbus) depends on this niche's distinct biomechanical properties …

Corneal tissue engineering is an alternative way to solve the problem of lack of corneal
donor tissue in corneal transplantation. Keratocytes with a normal phenotype and function in …

Within the concept of integrin growth factor receptor (GFR) cross-talk, little is known about
the effects of GFRs on focal adhesions (FAs). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis whether …

Healthy eyes contain a population of limbal stem cells (LSCs) that continuously renew the
corneal epithelium. However, each year, 1 million Americans are afflicted with severely …

Elastic properties of the substrate have profound effect on adhesion and proliferation of
cells. Here, we introduce a method to produce polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) substrates with …

Purpose: Hyaluronan (HA) is a major constituent of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that has
high viscosity and is essential for maintaining tissue hydration. In the cornea, HA is enriched …

The limbal stem cell niche is a structure of the ocular surface that is characterized by high
specification, organization, and clinical significance. Harboring the limbal epithelial stem …