Press Release: EU research reconstructing human corneas will help more people to see

European Union funded research to reconstruct the human cornea can revolutionise eye surgery and help reduce the number of tests carried out on animals to assess the effects of chemicals on the eye. Scientists will use nanotechnology for tissue engineering to create a three-dimensional human cornea in vitro. They aim to replace the outside layer of the cornea to help restore sight, develop a hemi-cornea to replace the outer half of the cornea and reconstruct the whole cornea. A consortium of 14 research teams from 9 countries, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Israel, Italy, Sweden, Turkey and the United Kingdom, is conducting the 'Cornea Engineering' project.

• Primary Source

http://ec.europa.eu/comm/research/press/2004/pr0308en.cfm http://ec.europa.eu/comm/research/press/2004/pr0308en.cfm

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