Macrophage Extracellular Vesicles: Therapeutic Strategies for Corneal Fibrosis in Rare Diseases

Abstract

Corneal scarring (fibrosis) is a blinding condition affecting millions of sufferers worldwide. It is not only in common ocular injuries but also in genetically inherited rare diseases such as epidermolysis bullosa (EB), keratitis-ichthyosis-deafness (KID) syndrome and aniridia. In rare diseases like EB or KID syndrome, corneal fibrosis arises from chronic inflammation, structural instability and neuro-immune dysfunction driven by genetic mutations. Current therapies are not effective in addressing the needs of affected individuals due to limited efficacy nor the considerable side effects of treatment. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) from various cell types such as mesenchymal stem cells not onl..