Human oral mucosal fibroblasts: characterization and use as feeder cells

Novel research from a team at the Tokyo Dental College Ichikawa General Hospital (Japan) has demonstrated that human oral mucosa middle interstitial tissue fibroblasts (hOMFs) could be a suitable source for corneal regeneration. Oral mucosa-derived stem cells have been shown to contain neural crest-origin cells that potentially differentiate into multiple cell types. Indeed, oral mucosa epithelial cells have been used in corneal epithelium reconstruction. What is more, attaining transplant cells from the oral mucosa could be advantageous as it is a relatively simple and not very invasive procedure. The latest research from Kazunari Higa and colleagues has taken steps on...