3D-printed cornea allows patient to see again

Giving blind people sight again – this has been achieved by a company and an ophthalmologist from Israel. A 3D-printed corneal implant was inserted into a patient. This restored her vision.

The implant was inserted into the patient at the Rambam Eye Institute in Haifa. It is the first time that a corneal implant, grown entirely from human corneal cells, has been successfully transplanted into a human, as the institute announced. The operation took place at the end of October.

The implant comes from the Israeli company Precise Bio. The special thing about it is that it was produced from human corneal cells using 3D printing.

300 implants from one cornea

The cornea came from a deceased person. Precise Bio further cultivated the cells in the laboratory and finally produced the implant using a 3D printing process. Around 300 implants could be produced from the one donor cornea.

Corneal transplants were first performed in the 19th century. In this procedure, a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced. However, this requires donor tissue, which is not available in sufficient quantities in all parts of the world. The process developed by Precise Bio allows enough implants to be produced from one donor tissue to help many patients.

"For the first time ever, we have seen a cornea made from living human cells in the lab give sight back to a person," said Michael Mimouni, who led the surgical team. "This is a glimpse into a future where no one has to live in darkness because there isn't enough donor tissue available."

According to Precise Bio, its process can also be used to produce other tissues, such as heart tissue or liver and kidney cells. In addition to Precise Bio, other companies and research institutions are also working on ways to restore vision. This includes Neuralink, the company founded by Elon Musk.

(wpl)