Want... The China Food and Drug Administration has recently issued a registration certificate for a bioengineered cornea, reports the China Youth Daily.
The approved advanced technology is expected to relieve the shortage of donated corneas used to cure corneal blindness. There are at present nearly 5 million patients with corneal blindness and the figure is increasing by 100,000 per year, while only 3,000 human corneas are donated annually.
The bioengineered cornea, developed by China Regenerative Medicine International (CRMI), is made from pig cornea and patients who catch the disease at an earlier age respond especially well to the treatment.
The research into the cornea took more than a decade. Jin Yan, head of the research team, said a pig's organ structure is very close to that of a human. To use the cornea, however, the pig's antigenicity and cells have to be removed and the useful collagenous fibers left.
The bioengineered cornea entered clinical trials in 2010. Some 150 patients took part in the trials and more than 90% of the replaced corneas proved to fit and work effectively in humans.
Shao Zhengkang, president of CRMI, said with the problem of material scarcity solved, the priority now is to upgrade the ophthalmologist's cornea implantation techniques. CRMI also said it will establish a training center for ophthalmologists.