Mesenchimal stem cells for ocular surface disease

Corneal damage due to different circumstances such as chemical injuries, cicatrizing immune‐based keratoconjunctivitis, severe dry eye disease (graft vs host disease mainly), sequelae of infections, repeated ocular surgeries or congenital disorders (such as congenital aniridia) affects the integrity of the corneal epithelium, being an important cause of visual impairment and blindness that affects millions of people worldwide Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and its derivatives represent a readily available, non‐immunogenic source of stem cell that has a great amount of regenerative and anti‐inflammatory properties. For these reasons, MSC have emerged as very attractive candidates for cell‐based therapies in numerous and diverse clinical applications including the treatment of ocular surface diseases such as limbal stem cell deficiency, dry eye disease, or even as a potential therapy to improve corneal allograft survival. Although part of the current preclinical evidence has already been successfully translated into the clinical evidence field, work must continue to overcome all the scientific and the technical challenges that still need to be solved. This presentation summarizes the main preclinical and clinical evidence that encouragingly supports MSC‐based therapies as safe and effective treatments for the regeneration of the ocular surface.