Clinical Trial Restored Sight to 20 People With Corneas Made From An Unlikely Source - ScienceAlert

Implants made from pig skin have restored sight to 20 people with diseased corneas, in an exciting pilot clinical trial.

While around 12.7 million people suffer vision loss due to problems with their corneas, only 1 in 70 manage to receive a cornea transplant – the only way to restore their vision.

As the means to provide these transplants are costly, and donated corneas are in short supply, most people in the world do not have access to effective treatments.

What's more, the material used to create the implant is a byproduct of the food industry and, thanks to specially developed packaging and sterilization processes, the final product can be stored for up to two years.

In contrast, donated human corneas must be used within two weeks.

"The results show that it is possible to develop a biomaterial that meets all the criteria for being used as human implants, which can be mass-produced and stored up to two years and thereby reach even more people with vision problems," Lagali concludes.