ArticleCells2026
Human Corneal Stromal Stem Cell Treatment Reduces Established Opacities in Chronic Corneal Scarring.
Article in Cells, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- M1-primed human corneal stromal stem cell-derived exosomes delivering protein-coding transforming growth factor-β3 RNA promote corneal regeneration.Stem cells translational medicine · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Corneal fibrosis, clinically referred to as corneal scarring, disrupts the normal architecture and transparency of the cornea and remains a major cause of visual impairment worldwide. Although corneal transplantation can restore vision, its effectiveness is constrained by limited accessibility, donor tissue shortages, and the risk of allograft rejection. Treatments with human corneal stromal stem cells (hCSSCs) have demonstrated scarless healing in preclinical models of acute corneal injury. Here, we report that hCSSCs also modulated pre-existing corneal opacities. We established a reproducible in vivo model of chronic corneal opacity. Given that scar severity varies among corneas even after identical injuries, we developed a non-invasive, image-based method to quantify opacity volume longitudinally in individual corneas. Using this approach, we evaluated the scar-reducing potential of three hCSSC batches previously shown to inhibit acute scarring. Following cell treatment, the pre-existing opacity volumes gradually decreased. In vitro, hCSSCs exposed to pro-inflammatory stimulus exhibited increased metalloproteinase (MMP) activity relative to tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP), as indicated by an elevated MMP2/TIMP2 ratio. This shift may promote matrix remodeling and scar resolution. Overall, our findings provide proof-of-concept for hCSSC-based therapy as a strategy to reduce established corneal scarring and restore corneal transparency.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.