Continuous regeneration of the cornea is necessary to maintain this tissue in the transparent state that is essential for vision. Therapy for repair of the damaged anterior cornea is currently addressed through the transplantation of donor corneas or the delivery of limbal epithelial stem cells (LESC) to the ocular surface using amniotic membrane (AM) as a supporting scaffold. Research on the bioengineering of corneal equivalents as replacement tissue is underway to develop viable corneal prosthetics. Corneal Regenerative Medicine: Methods and Protocols provides a concise overview of essential techniques in the field of corneal regenerative medicine, highlighting novel strategies to guide the management of key therapies within this area of medicine. Divided into four convenient sections, topics include the identification, characterisation and cultivation of LESC, as well as the investigation of biopolymers used as the basis for corneal substitutes. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, Corneal Regenerative Medicine: Methods and Protocols covers the fundamental techniques useful for both the laboratory and clinical settings.

Continuous regeneration of the cornea is necessary to maintain this tissue in the transparent state that is essential for vision. Therapy for repair of the damaged anterior cornea is currently addressed through the transplantation of donor corneas or the delivery of limbal epithelial stem cells (LESC) to the ocular surface using amniotic membrane (AM) as a supporting scaffold. Research on the bioengineering of corneal equivalents as replacement tissue is underway to develop viable corneal prosthetics. Corneal Regenerative Medicine: Methods and Protocols provides a concise overview of essential techniques in the field of corneal regenerative medicine, highlighting novel strategies to guide the management of key therapies within this area of medicine. Divided into four convenient sections, topics include the identification, characterisation and cultivation of LESC, as well as the investigation of biopolymers used as the basis for corneal substitutes. Written in the successful Methods in Molecular Biology series format, chapters include introductions to their respective topics, lists of the necessary materials and reagents, step-by-step, readily reproducible protocols, and notes on troubleshooting and avoiding known pitfalls. Authoritative and easily accessible, Corneal Regenerative Medicine: Methods and Protocols covers the fundamental techniques useful for both the laboratory and clinical settings.

Hydrogels are attractive materials for uses in regenerative medicine due to their biocompatibility and high water absorbance and retention properties. Applications are emerging in stem cell niches, biopolymers and synthetic polymers for tissue scaffolding, wound healing and hydrogels for cellular diagnostics and delivery. Hydrogels in Cell-Based Therapies looks at the use of different polymers and other bionanomaterials to fabricate different hydrogel systems and their biomedical applications including enzyme responsive hydrogels and biomaterials, thermally responsive hydrogels, collagen gels and alginates. With complementary expertise in cell biology and soft materials, the Editors provide a comprehensive overview of recent updates in this extremely topical field. This highly interdisciplinary subject will appeal to researchers in cell biology, biochemistry, biomaterials and polymer science and those interested in hydrogel applications.