Effective storage and utilization
of limited donor corneal
resources
are in high demand to alleviate the shortage of donor corneal tissue.
Here, we designed a static air-lifted organ culture system equipped
with a protective coverage membrane, namely, an air-lifted OC-P system,
to provide a biomimetic physiological environment for full-thickness
corneal preservation. The air-lifted OC-P system features a unique
collagen-based protective coverage membrane that can offer a moist,
oxygen-rich environment for corneal epithelium, produce an appropriate
intraocular pressure onto the cornea by gravity, and facilitate the
maintenance of the organ culture medium level for nutrient supply
during corneal preservation. Compared with conventional submerged
and air-lifted corneal preservation methods, the air-lifted OC-P system
remarkably improved the overall quality of the preserved corneas.
These preserved corneas not only exhibited superior controllability
of corneal swelling and extraordinary maintenance of the morphology
and viability of all three types of corneal cells (i.e., corneal epithelium,
keratocytes, and endothelium) but also demonstrated optimal optical,
thermal, and mechanical properties. This air-lifted OC-P system presents
a biomimetic strategy that provides a static and efficient method
to replicate the corneal natural conditions for corneal preservation
effectively.