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P.Trošan Ph.D. Thesis Abstract Limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) is a disease characterized by the deficiency of stem cells in the limbus, which are responsible for the homeostasis and renewal of the corneal epithelium. This disorder results in corneal neovascularization, chronical inflammation and opacification, which may lead to loss of vision. The most successful treatment is the transplantation of limbal tissue or cultured limbal epithelial cells (LECs) onto the damaged ocular surface. The human amniotic membrane (HAM) is used as the feeder of the LECs culture, as well as for the LSCD treatment. HAM is also widely used in clinical practice, particularly for the treatment of chronic wounds. This dissertation is particularly concerned on cell therapy for LSCD, on preparation of cells suitable for grafting onto the ocular surface, on the improvement of the LECs culture conditions, and on the preparation of appropriate carrier for the transfer of cells onto the damaged cornea. During my work I have used a wide spectrum of methods, e.g. cell cultures (LECs, mesenchymal stem, amniotic epithelial, conjunctival epithelial, goblet and 3T3 cells), immunohisto- and immunocytochemistry, microscopy, proliferation and colony forming assays, reverse transcription and quantitative real-time PCRs and statistical... |
