Limbal stem cell niche and ocular surface reconstruction

• Main Author: Yeung, Aaron Ming Hon
• Published: University of Nottingham 2011
• Subjects: 611.84
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.580161

In the quest to master ocular surface regeneration, one must isolate the stem cells at the limbus and understand them. The stem cell niche is a concept that-was first described in 1978 and subsequently gained interest and became widely accepted. The work presented in Chapter 2 sought to characterize the stem cell niche at the ocular surface, and in doing so led to further understanding of stem cells at the limbus. In Chapter 3 the sampling of infant tissue provided further insight into the niche at that age group. In Chapter 4, Desmoglein 3 was hypothesized to be a negative stem cell marker. Finally in Chapter 5, the Amniotic Membrane was investigated as a possible surrogate stem cell niche. The stem cells at the limbus have not been isolated yet, but hopefully we are one step closer to mastering ocular surface reconstruction.