Surface coatings of contact lenses for cell sheet transplantation

Abstract

The field of corneal cell sheet engineering has evolved rapidly in the last decade; however, challenges related to transplantation into target tissue still exist, necessitating a new approach to integrate cell sheet technology onto a contact lens surface. In this study, a novel surface‐modified contact lens was developed for corneal regenerative medicine to ensure the easy and safe integration of cell sheets into the target tissue. The lens surface was coated with a thermo‐responsive polymer using the initiated chemical vapor deposition technique, facilitating the separation of tissue‐integrated cell sheets from the coated lens surface by simply lowering the temperature. BEAS‐2B and L929 cells, along with human limbal epithelial cells, were cultured on a crosslinked poly(2‐(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate)‐coated lens, providing temperature sensitivity for 14 days. At the end of the incubation period, the cultured cells were harvested as intact monolayer cell sheets through a simple temperature reduction, without enzymatic treatment or additional surgical procedures. Rapid and complete delamination of the cells planted and incubated on the coated lens surface was achieved at room temperature. Therapeutic contact lenses modified with cell sheet technology allowed targeted delivery of cells to the affected area of the cornea.