Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Department

Biology

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

More than 50,000 corneal transplants are perfonned each year in the United States to save orrestore nonnal vision for cornea recipients. While this procedure remains the most successful transplant surgery currently perfonned, a shortage of donor tissue limits its application. Jnresponse, scientists have begun to investigate two means of increasing the supply and availability of donor tissue: transplanting cultured corneal endothelial cells in lieu of donor tissue, and using cryopreservationas ameans of longtenn tissue storage. This study will attempt to determine whether culture and storage techniques, such as subcultivationor cryopreservation, affectthe ability of the corneal endothelium to maintain its pump function. Specifically, it will assess the effects of subcultivation and cryopreservation on the surface expression ofNa+, K+-ATPase of cultured corneal endothelial cells.

Advisor(s) or Committee Chair

Dr. Kenneth M. Crawford

Disciplines

Biology

Included in

Biology Commons

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