Cultures of limbal cells are a safe and effective treatment for the destruction of the human cornea owing to chemical burns. The essential feature of the graft is the presence of an adequate number of stem cells, which can be determined by the expression of the p63 transcription factor. Here, we will discuss the general principles defining the rigorous criteria for graftable limbal cultures in light of their clinical performances. Such criteria might prove relevant to the future therapeutic use of any cultured cell type.
Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd.