New research by scientists at Georgia Tech have found the softness of corneal cells can help indicate their potential to self-multiply and turn into different types of mature cells, helping to predict transplant success.
According to researchers, limbal stem cell transplantation was recently approved in Europe for the treatment of corneal damage, however, clinical success is dependent upon the number and percentage of limbal stem cells for tissue grafts. The researchers set out to identify biomechanical markers that could be used as a faster, cheaper way to enrich stem cells. They reportedly used atomic force microscopy to touch and exert various forces on cells to assess their mechanical properties. Through this process, researchers were able to show that limbal stem cells were softer, or more easily compressible, than more mature cells.
The study was recently published in Biophysical Journal.
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