cultivated oral mucosal epithelial cell transplantation

Cultivated oral mucosal epithelial cell transplantation (COMET) is an autologous cell therapy developed by Chang Gung Memorial Hospital for the treatment of severe limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD). The therapy involves harvesting a small biopsy of the patient's own oral mucosal tissue and cultivating the epithelial cells ex vivo to form a transplantable cell sheet. This specific protocol developed at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital utilizes an animal ingredient-free method, employing collagenase-based isolation instead of trypsin/EDTA and avoiding the use of murine 3T3 feeder cells to enhance biosafety. The resulting cell sheets, which express stem cell markers such as p63 and p75, are grafted onto the damaged corneal surface to restore the ocular surface barrier and improve visual acuity. The therapy is used to treat LSCD caused by chemical or thermal burns, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and ocular cicatricial pemphigoid, and has been evaluated in combination with bevacizumab to reduce corneal neovascularization.

Other names

cultivated autologous oral mucosal epithelial transplantationanimal ingredient-free COMETcultivated oral mucosal epithelial cell transplantation-Chang Gung Memorial Hospital-limbal stem cell deficiency