Corneal endothelium, a monolayer of cells located at the innermost side of the cornea, supplies water to the cornea. It is known that corneal endothelial cells become enlarged with age; insufficient water supply to the cornea resulting from the decrease in cell density causes symptoms such as corneal opacity.
Currently, transplantation of the entire cornea is the only procedure available to treat such symptoms. R&D for less invasive treatment is under way all over the world.
Once corneal endothelial cells are damaged, there is no option but corneal transplant to cure the damage, because corneal endothelial cells have no power of proliferation. That is why regenerative medicine is expected to contribute greatly to the advancement of damaged corneal endothelial cell treatment.