Optimization of silk fibroin membranes for retinal implantation

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Suzuki, Shuko
Shadforth, Audra MA
McLenachan, Samuel
Zhang, Dan
Chen, Shang-Chih
Walshe, Jennifer
Lidgerwood, Grace E
Pebay, Alice
Chirila, Traian
Chen, Fred K
Harkin, Damien G
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2019
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Abstract

Silk fibroin membrane displays potential for ocular tissue reconstruction as demonstrated by its ability to support a functioning retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) in vitro. Nevertheless, translation of these findings to the clinic will require the use of membranes that can be readily handled and implanted into diseased retinas, with minimal impact on the surrounding healthy tissue. To this end, we optimized the physical properties of fibroin membranes to enable surgical handling during implantation into the retina, without compromising biocompatibility or permeability. Our central hypothesis is that optimal strength and permeability can be achieved by combining the porogenic properties of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) with the crosslinking properties of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Our study reveals that PEG used in conjunction with HRP enables the production of fibroin membranes with superior handling properties to conventional fibroin membranes. More specifically, the modified membranes could be more easily implanted into the retinas of rats and displayed good evidence of biocompatibility. Moreover, the modified membranes retained the ability to support construction of functional RPE derived from pluripotent stem cells. These findings pave the way for preclinical studies of RPE-implantation using the optimized fibroin membranes.

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Materials Science and Engineering C

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105

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Biomedical engineering

Materials engineering

Science & Technology

Technology

Materials Science, Biomaterials

Materials Science

Silk fibroin

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Suzuki, S; Shadforth, AMA; McLenachan, S; Zhang, D; Chen, S-C; Walshe, J; Lidgerwood, GE; Pebay, A; Chirila, T; Chen, FK; Harkin, DG, Optimization of silk fibroin membranes for retinal implantation, Materials Science and Engineering C, 2019, 105

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