Figure 5.

Ex vivo autograft of bioengineered human corneal constructs shown by the expression of eGFP reporter (green). PHCEC (established from fresh limbal explants-E) were cultured on the substrate of human corneal stromal disk with 80μm thickness and 9mm diameter prepared from fresh human corneoscleral tissue using the IntraLase femtosecond laser. 24h after the transduction, the corneal constructs (graft) with the explant removed was placed back onto its original bed (Bed, the corneoscleral tissue was preserved in the Optisol™ GS until reimplatation). The epithelial cells expanded on the surface of the recipient by day 2 after the transplantation (2d, arrow head showing the margin of expanded epithelia on the surface of recipient bed). By 2 weeks (2w), the outgrowth was larger (arrow head showing the margin of greater expanded epithelia), but eGFP expression declined (weak). Arrow showing the margin of the graft. Inset, higher power magnification, ×75. Scale bars, 1500 μm.