Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38729560›Full record

ArticleJournal of advanced research2025

The hiPSC-derived corneal endothelial progenitor-like cell recovers the rabbit model of corneal endothelial dystrophy.

Yi-Jen Hsueh, Hung-Chi Chen, Yu-Yun Pan, Fang-Chi Hsiao, Shun-Jie Yang, Mei-Chun Liu, Wei-Yu Lai, Guigang Li, David Hui-Kang Ma, Yaa-Jyuhn James Meir

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Article in Journal of advanced research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Yi-Jen HsuehCenter for Tissue Engineering, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333423, Taiwan; Dept. of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333423, Taiwan.
Hung-Chi ChenCenter for Tissue Engineering, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333423, Taiwan; Dept. of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333423, Taiwan; Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan.
Yu-Yun PanDept. of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan.
Fang-Chi HsiaoDept. of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333423, Taiwan.
Shun-Jie YangGraduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan.
Mei-Chun LiuGraduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan.
Wei-Yu LaiGraduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan.
Guigang LiDepartment of Ophthalmology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province 430030, China.
David Hui-Kang MaCenter for Tissue Engineering, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333423, Taiwan; Dept. of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333423, Taiwan; Department of Chinese Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan.
Yaa-Jyuhn James MeirGraduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan; Dept. of Ophthalmology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan 333423, Taiwan; Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan. Electronic address: jmeir@mail.cgu.edu.tw.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionCorneal endothelial dysfunction results in cornea opacity, damaging sightedness, and affecting quality of life. A corneal transplant is the current effective intervention. Due to the scarcity of donated cornea, such an unmet medical need requires a novel therapeutic modality.

objectivesCustomizing patients' corneal endothelial progenitor cells with proliferative activity and lineage restriction properties shall offer sufficient therapeutic cells for corneal endothelial dystrophy.

methodsThe customized induced human corneal endothelial progenitor-like cell (iHCEPLC) was obtained through cell fate conversions starting from PBMC (peripheral blood mononuclear cell), hiPSC (human induced pluripotent stem cell), and hNCC (human neural crest cell), while it finally reached the iHCEPLC state via a series of induction. Several molecular diagnoses were applied to depict its progenitor state, including RNAseq, FlowCytometer, immunostainings, and rtPCR. Significantly, it can be induced to gain differentiation maturity through contact inhibition. In addition, a BAK-mediated rabbit model of corneal endothelial dystrophy was established in the present study to test the therapeutic effectiveness of the iHCEPLC.

resultsAfter inducing cell fate conversion, the specific HCEC markers were detected by rtPCR and immunostaining in iHCEPLC. Further, RNAseq was applied to distinguish its progenitor-like cell fate from primary human corneal endothelial cells (HECE). FlowCytometry profiled the heterogeneity subpopulation, consistently displaying a subtle difference from primary HCEC. A terminal differentiation can be induced in iHCEPLC, addressing its progenitor-like fate. iHCEPLC can restore the BAK-based rabbit model of corneal endothelial dystrophy. Immunohistochemistry verified that such acuity restoration of the BAK-treated cornea is due to the introduced iHCEPLC, and such therapeutic effectiveness is observed in the long term.

conclusionHere, we demonstrated that customized iHCEPLC has long-term therapeutic efficacy. As a progenitor cell, our iHCEPLC has a restricted cell lineage nature and can proliferate in vitro, supporting sufficient therapeutic candidate cells. Due to the immune-privileged nature of the cornea, our iHCEPLC proves the principle of therapeutical feasibility in both autogenic and allogeneic modalities.

Indexed as

Endothelial Progenitor CellsEndothelium, CornealInduced Pluripotent Stem CellsAnimalsCell DifferentiationDisease Models, AnimalHumansRabbitsHuman corneal endothelial cell (HCEC)Human corneal endothelial progenitor-like cells (HCEPLC)Human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)Neural crest cell (NCC)Peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)

Identifiers

PMID38729560
PMCPMC11976410

What Socratic holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.