Development of fibrous ophthalmic biomaterial scaffolds for wound healing & ophthalmic tissue engineering

Abstract

Approximately 4.2 million people are suffering from corneal opacities according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) as of 2019. There is a shortage of allogeneic tissue donors, with only 79,641 people receiving corneal transplants in the United States in 2021. Current alternatives to allogenic transplantation include the Boston type-1 keratoprosthesis. Suitable bioengineered solutions must display sufficient mechanical durability and processability and possess essential biocompatibility characteristics associated with the cornea's extracellular matrix (ECM).

In this project poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (PLCL) was electrospun and modified using atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma to produce a suitable corneal scaffold that mimics the physical properties of the corneal stroma and support the culture of human corneal epithelial (HCE-T) cells. This work investigated the physical, chemical and biological characteristics of electrospun PLCL scaffolds and how the rate of cellular attachment, viability and migration can be increased by using dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma. Material characterisation methods utilised included scanning electron microscopy, tensile testing, XPS analysis, AFM and FTIR. Biological characterisation consisted of a comprehensive range of biological characterisation techniques such as attachment and viability assays, immunocytochemistry and gene expression analysis to better understand corneal wound healing on the PLCL electrospun scaffold. Endothelial colony forming cells (ECFCs) and human umbilical cord endothelial cells (HUVECs) were also investigated during this project to evaluate the ability of electrospun PLCL scaffolds to support endothelial cell types.

DBD plasma processed PLCL electrospun fibres were shown to have significantly enhanced effect on HCE-T cellular attachment, viability and capable of forming a functional monolayer and displaying an enhanced wound healing ability. It was also shown that enhancements to attachment, proliferation and maturation of ECFCs and HUVECs cells were established due to the atmospheric DBD plasma processing of electrospun PLCL scaffolds.

Thesis embargoed until 30 June 2027

Date of Award	Jun 2025
Original language	English
Sponsors	Department for the Economy
Supervisor	George Burke (Supervisor), Saikat Jana (Supervisor) & Dorian Dixon (Supervisor)