The Australian Government has awarded $35 million to BIENCO, a research collaboration between five research institutes, to support the development of a tissue-engineered cornea aiming to reduce the necessity of donated tissue to treat corneal blindness.
The group, which includes a team from CERA, are developing a bioengineered corneal replacement tissue by incorporating cells and tissue generously donated by deceased donors.
Currently, donor corneas are available for only 1 in 70 patients globally, with 53 percent of the world's population unable to access this tissue.
"Currently, these transplants are reliant on tissue donated from deceased individuals," says Professor Mark Daniell, Head of Corneal Research at CERA.
"The developing world, including many countries in Africa, and Southeast Asia, has a chronic shortage of corneas due to a paucity of tissue banks.
"BIENCO's foundational work has already made significant progress in creating next-generation bioengineered materials that will significantly reduce the need for donated tissue and increase the speed and quality of care patients receive."
National collaboration
BIENCO is a world-first consortium of clinical, scientific and governance experts from the University of Sydney, University of Wollongong, University of Melbourne, Queensland University of Technology, the Centre for Eye Research Australia, and the NSW Organ & Tissue Donation Service.
University of Melbourne Professor Greg Qiao, a BIENCO Chief Investigator, said the MRFF funding could aid in solving cornea shortage issues globally.
"The funding will allow us to continue our work, through BIENCO, in developing an endothelial transplant with the potential to produce multiple synthetic corneas using a single donor tissue," Professor Qiao says.
"Our work through the Hygelix project, a partnership with the Centre for Eye Research Australia and Eversight, funded by the Victorian Government, has seen the production of a purely synthetic and biodegradable hydrogel, capable of supporting a delicate corneal tissue for eye surgery, which has made it possible to improve the outcomes of cornea transplant surgeries for patients with corneal disease."
"Our ultimate goal is to develop the technology where we can grow cells on the hydrogel and produce as many as 30 synthetic grafts from one donor tissue.
"This would help alleviate the global shortage of donor corneas."
The development of a synthetic cornea and other project outcomes will restore vision for millions of people around the world, providing access to people living where corneal transplants are not available.
"This facility is a major step towards ensuring there is help available for those who need it," says Federal Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler.
"These revolutionary treatments prove once again that Australian medical researchers are among the best in the world."
The decade-long mission to create a bioengineered cornea is taking its next steps with a new national collaboration.
Hear from Professor Mark Daniell about CERA's role in developing a bioengineered cornea.
