NIH R01 · 2025
SUMMARY Limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs) produce transient amplifying cells (TACs) that move centripetally into the cornea and differentiate into corneal epithelial cells (CECs). Thus, TACs represent a transition state between LESCs and CECs. Studies have suggested some TACs retain stem cell-like characteristics. We have recently shown that the LSCN is composed of a hyaluronan (HA)-rich matrix that is essential for maintaining LESCs, and a loss of HA triggers LESC differentiation into CECs. Our unpublished data shows that clusters of cells expressing an HA-rich matrix (HA-clusters) break away from the limbus and move into the cornea containing LESC progenies with progenitor-like…
From the public funding record at NIH RePORTER. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.