Bio-X Graduate Student Fellowships 2005/2006

David Myung Chemical Eng. and Ophthalmology Professors C. Frank and C. Ta

Corneal blindness affects millions worldwide and requires a corneal transplant.  A tissue-engineered artificial cornea has the potential to replace the need for human donor tissue while providing better surgical outcomes.  My project is the design, fabrication, and characterization of an artificial cornea based on a novel class of double network hydrogels.  These “biomimetic” materials have demonstrated great potential for emulating the transparency, biomechanics, and regenerative capacity of a human cornea.   My aims are to characterize the unique properties of these polymers, engineer them to promote integration with host corneal tissue, and finally to study the cellular response to them in vitro.