For more than 2 decades Che Connon, PhD, professor of tissue engineering, Newcastle University, Tyne, U.K., has been working with corneal cells. Most recently, his work led to the development of the first 3D-printed cornea made with human cells.
The cornea printed by the team was a curved tissue. In separate research, Dr. Connon and his team discovered that the curvature of the cornea, in addition to being responsible for some refractive properties, actually affected the corneal cells (keratocytes). “The keratocytes respond to a curved surface and align in response to that curved surface.”The printer they used was relatively cheap (about $8,000), and that decision was made on purpose with the idea being that the technology could someday be accessible to doctors around the world.
For more information: https://www.eyeworld.org/meet-first-3d-printed-human-cornea