AVS 64th International Symposium & Exhibition
    Biomaterial Interfaces Division Tuesday Sessions
       Session BI-TuP

Paper BI-TuP13
Effect of Topography on Retinal Stem Cell Viability and Regrowth

Tuesday, October 31, 2017, 6:30 pm, Room Central Hall

Session: Biomaterial Interfaces Poster Session with Flash presentations
Presenter: Aleksandr Filippov, SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Authors: A. Filippov, SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Y. Tian, SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Y. Xie, SUNY Polytechnic Institute
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Age-related macular degeneration is a devastation eye condition that inflicts damage to the retina and leads to irreversible vision loss. The retina is made up of several layers of light-sensing cells, which are supported and nourished by the retinal pigmented epithelial (RPE) layer. The RPE cells sit atop the Bruch’s Membrane and form a highly-selective blood-retinal-barrier that is critical for retinal homeostasis. In this project, we attempt to recreate the barrier in vitro using elestrospun nanofibers. Human RPE cells were cultured on nanofibers made from natural and synthetic polymers, such as chitosan and polycaprolactone, with Synthemax and gelatin as controls. We found that human RPE cells demonstrated proper morphology and protein expression when cultured on the chitosan substrate.