An Engineered Human Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 Derivative, TTHX1114, Ameliorates Short-term Corneal Nitrogen Mustard Injury in Rabbit Organ Cultures.

Purpose: Organ cultures of rabbit corneas have been used to ascertain the effectiveness of a human fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-1 derivative (TTHX1114), lacking cysteine residues, to protect against and/or repair epithelial lesions following exposure to nitrogen mustard (NM). Methods: Rabbit corneas were exposed to NM and cultured for up to 14 days, with or without drug (TTHX1114). At specified times, tissue was examined by histopathology and graded by a novel composite scale. Proliferation was measured by 5-ethynyl-2'-deoxyuridine (EdU) incorporation, and the expression of native FGF-1 and ADAM-17 after NM exposure was determined by immunofluorescence. Results: Rabbit corneas, exposed to a single dose of NM, showed a nearly complete loss of epithelial cells by day 6 but were significantly regenerated by day 14. When treated continuously with TTHX1114 following vesicant exposure, the losses remained at day 2 levels. The loss of keratocytes in the stroma was not affected by TTHX1114. EdU incorporation over the same time course showed a steady increase in tissue that had not been treated with TTHX1114, while corneas that were treated with the drug showed a higher percent incorporation initially, which then decreased, indicating the strong proliferative response to TTHX1114. ADAM-17 was not significantly altered by TTHX1114 treatment. Corneal epithelial FGF-1 disappeared after only 1 day following exposure to NM. Conclusions: TTHX1114 is protective against NM-induced damage of the corneal epithelium, possibly by supplying an NM-resistant source of trophic support and by stimulating regeneration of new epithelial cells. These responses underscore the potential value of TTHX1114 as an anti-vesicant therapeutic.

Cell-based therapies for ocular disease.

Cell therapy for ocular disease has made significant progress within the last decade. Stem and progenitor populations for many ocular cell types have been identified, and their behavior is now understood well enough to enable clinical application. Corneal epithelial progenitor cell therapy has benefited many patients and is now transitioning from a research technique to established clinical therapy. The application of embryonic stem cell-based therapy is in clinical development for Stargardt's macular dystrophy and dry age-related macular degeneration. These advances have been made possible, in part, by the inherent advantages of the eye as a place to develop and apply cell therapies and the foundation built on transplantation studies. Despite these advances, there are still areas of high unmet need that could benefit from cell therapy when further research identifies methods to identify, generate, and manipulate the progenitor populations. This review discusses, in practical terms, the application of cell therapies to the eye, progress that has been made and progress which remains to be made in the application of cell therapy to ocular disease.