A team of international researchers has developed an implant made of collagen protein from pigs skin that resembled the human cornea and restored vision in people with blindness and visually impaired individuals. The bioengineered implant acts as an alternative to the transplantation of donated human corneas. Dr. Neil Lagali, Professor at the Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences at Linkoping University (LiU) in Sweden, stated that the results showed the possibility of developing a biomaterial that meets all the criteria for being used as human implants and can be mass-produced and stored for up to two years. Therefore, reaching the broader mass of people with vision problems and reducing the problem of the shortage of donated corneal tissue

In a pilot study, published in Nature Biotechnology, the implant restored the vision of 20 people in India and Iran with diseased corneas. The study showed that the implant, besides being safe, also restored to normal the corneas thickness and curvature. The participants sight improved as much as it would have after a corneal transplant with donated tissue. In the study, it was also observed that the operations were free from complications, and the tissue healed quickly. An eight-week treatment regimen with immunosuppressive eye drops was enough to prevent the rejection of the implant.

The team also developed a new, minimally invasive method for treating the disease keratoconus, in which the cornea becomes so thin that it can lead to blindness. Currently, a keratoconus patients cornea at an advanced stage is surgically removed and replaced by a donated cornea, which is sewn into place using surgical sutures. On the contrary, the new surgical method does not require any stitches. 

(Source: https://www.daijiworld.com/news/newsDisplay?newsID=988910 )