Abstract
Age-related macular degeneration is an incurable chronic neurodegenerative disease, causing progressive loss of the central vision and even blindness. Up-to-date therapeutic approaches can only slow down he progression of the disease. Objective. Feasibility study for a multilayered, silkfibroin-based, 3D biohybrid retina. Approach. Fabrication of silk fibroin-based biofilms; culture of different types of cells: retinal pigment epithelium, retinal neurons, Müller and mesenchymal stem cells ; creation of a layered structure glued with silk fibroin hydrogel. Main results. In vitro evidence for the feasibility of layered 3D biohybrid retinas; primary culture neurons grow and develop neurites on silk fibroin biofilms, either alone or in presence of other cells cultivated on the same biomaterial; cell organization and cellular phenotypes are maintained in vitrofor the seven days of the experiment. Significance. 3D biohybrid retina can be built using silksilkworm fibroinfilms and hydrogels to be used in cell replacement therapy for AMD and similarretinal neurodegenerative diseases.
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