Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
For example, other methods of transferring stem cell grafts to the eye
could potentially result in contamination or other risks because of
the materials used (Di Girolamo et al., 2009). The use of a widely
available contact lens that has been approved for general use is thus
a significant improvement on these other techniques (Di Girolamo
et al., 2009). The contact lens poses very little risk to the patient and
is an effective means of delivering the stem cell transplant to the eye
(Di Girolamo et al., 2009).
The clinical results reported from the pilot study are described by
the researchers as remarkable (Di Girolamo et al., 2009). They also
suggest that the technique is so simple that any corneal surgeon
could take the biopsies of the original tissue samples required and
that any researcher experienced in the required tissue culturing
techniques could produce the material to be grown on the contact
lens (Di Girolamo et al., 2009). Although they are at pains to point
out that there is much still to be worked out about exactly how the
contact lens tissue transfer process works in restoring corneal
epithelium (Di Girolamo et al., 2009), they also argue that there are
no notable reasons as to why it should not be used as a viable
treatment option. For example, there may be clinical indicators for
certain individuals or particular conditions that would not respond
favourably to this technique, but larger-scale studies would need to
be done to identify those limitations (Di Girolamo et al., 2009).
Exactly where any commercial prospects for this technique might
lie is a separate question. While the developers of the contact lens
tissue transfer process have been feted in the local media as noteworthy
inventors ('New Inventors', 2009), what any financial incentive might
be is unclear. The story behind their invention is, again, one of
collaborative scientific work in a university setting. One of the
inventors says a colleague gave him a contact lens removed from a
patient with tissue adhering to it for analysis, which gave him the idea
that perhaps the reverse could work too, namely that tissue from a
contact lens could be made to adhere to the patient's eye instead
('New Inventors', 2009). In theory, the technique could potentially be
licensed, or protected under an intellectual property filing, but
whether the costs of filing and the time frame for development would
warrant going down this path are another matter.
