These days, medical advances seem to be happening in the blink of an eye. Now, British scientists report they have created human corneas using 3-D printing technology.

The researchers said they hope this breakthrough will one day ensure an unlimited supply of corneas.

Human corneas are now in short supply. Yet, there are 10 million people around the world who need them to prevent blindness.

These millions need surgery to prevent corneal blindness caused by diseases such as trachoma, an infectious eye disorder.

Another 5 million people already suffer total blindness from corneal scarring caused by burns, lacerations, abrasion or disease, the researchers added.

The cornea, the outermost layer of the eye, plays a vital role in focusing, the study authors from Newcastle University explained.

By mixing stem cells from a healthy donor cornea with alginate, a gel derived from seaweed, and collagen, researchers managed to create a “bio-ink” solution that can be printed.

This bio-ink then would be successfully expelled out of the printer in concentric circles in the shape of a cornea in less than 10 minutes, according to a paper published in Experimental Eye Research on May 29.

“Our unique bio-gel — a combination of alginate and collagen — keeps the stem cells alive while producing a material which is stiff enough to hold its shape but soft enough to be squeezed out the nozzle of a 3-D printer,” said lead researcher Che Connon in a press release.

Connon’s team also showed it is possible to create a cornea that matches a patient’s unique specifications.

By taking the dimensions of the patient’s actual cornea with scans, scientists can use the data to print a cornea that matches its size and shape.

The 3-D printed corneas will now have to undergo further testing but it is hoped the technique could be in regular use within five years.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【胶原蛋白】jiāoyuán dànbái collagen material composed principally of collagen proteins

【同心的】tóngxīn de concentric having a common center

现在，医学的进步似乎眨眼之间就发生了。英国科学家宣布他们成功地采用3D技术打印出了人类眼角膜。

研究人员说他们希望这一突破有朝一日能提供无限量的角膜供应。目前眼角膜移植供体短缺，而全球每年有大约1000万人需要移植角膜来避免变盲。

这些患者需要手术治疗像颗粒性结膜炎之类的传染性眼疾导致的角膜盲。

另有500万人由于烧伤、撕裂、擦伤或疾病导致角膜瘢痕已经完全失明。

角膜覆盖于眼球最表层，对于眼球聚焦起到关键的作用，来自英国纽卡斯尔大学的研究者解释。

科学家通过将来自健康供体角膜的干细胞与藻盐酸（来自海藻的凝胶）和胶原蛋白混合在一起，创造出可以打印的“生物墨水”溶液。

之后，3D打印机可以把这种生物墨水成功打印成眼角膜的同心圆状，整个过程仅需10分钟。这项研究成果发表在5月29日的《实验性眼科研究》期刊上。

首席研究员彻•康农在新闻稿中说：“我们独一无二的生物墨水由藻盐酸和胶原蛋白制成，使干细胞保持活力，同时制造出足够坚硬的材料以保持其形状，而且足够柔软以从3D打印机的喷嘴挤出。”

康农的团队还向人们展示出，打印出符合患者个人体征的角膜是完全可行的。

科学家通过扫描患者的眼睛来量取其真实角膜的尺寸，之后使用这些数据打印出与其大小和形状相配的眼角膜。

3D打印的人类角膜需要作进一步测试，但这一技术有望在5年内投入常规使用。

(Chinadaily.com.cn)