Rational Nanotoolbox With Theranostic Potential For Medicated Pro-Regenerative Corneal Implants

Cornea diseases are a leading cause of blindness and the disease burden is exacerbated by the increasing shortage around the world for cadaveric donor corneas. Despite the advances in the field of regenerative medicine, successful transplantation of laboratory-made artificial corneas is not fully realized in clinical practice. The causes of failure of such artificial corneal implants are multifactorial and include latent infections from viruses and other microbes, enzyme overexpression, implant degradation, extrusion or delayed epithelial regeneration. Therefore, there is an urgent unmet need for developing customized corneal implants to suit the host environment and counter the effects of inflammation or infection, which are able to track early signs of implant failure in situ. This work reports a nanotoolbox comprising tools for protection from infection, promotion of regeneration, and noninvasive monitoring of the in situ corneal environment. These nanosystems can be incorporated within pro-regenerative biosynthetic implants, transforming them into theranostic devices, which are able to respond to biological changes following implantation.