ARREST BLINDNESS · Project

Lab-Grown Corneal Implants and Cell Therapies to Restore Sight

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Imagine your cornea — the clear window at the front of your eye — gets damaged or clouded. Right now, the main fix is a transplant from a donor, but there aren't nearly enough donors to go around. This team built bio-engineered replacements: collagen-based scaffolds that act like a new cornea, plus ways to deliver healing stem cells and growth factors directly to the eye. They tested these in animals and moved toward early human trials, aiming to give doctors an off-the-shelf option instead of waiting for scarce donor tissue.

By the numbers

30 million+

Europeans who are blind or visually impaired

2nd

Largest cause of blindness globally (corneal blindness)

Consortium partners across 8 countries

SMEs in the consortium

40%

Industry ratio in the consortium

Total project deliverables

The business problem

What needed solving

Over 30 million Europeans suffer from blindness or visual impairment, and corneal blindness is the second largest cause globally. Current treatments depend on scarce donor tissue, lack standardised methods, and promising regenerative therapies have been stuck in labs without reaching patients who need them.

The solution

What was built

The project built GMP-fabricated collagen-based bioengineered scaffolds to replace damaged corneas, developed methods to deliver therapeutic stem cells and endothelial cells to restore corneal transparency, and created advanced imaging tools for surgical monitoring. A key deliverable identified the optimum carrier material for porcine endothelial cell expansion based on adhesion and biomechanical testing.

Audience

Who needs this

Ophthalmic medical device manufacturers looking to add corneal implant productsBiotech companies developing cell therapy or regenerative medicine productsEye banks and tissue processing organisations facing donor shortagesPharmaceutical companies with ophthalmology pipelines seeking late-preclinical assetsHospital groups and eye surgery chains wanting access to next-generation corneal treatments

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Ophthalmic medical devices

mid-size

Target: Companies manufacturing intraocular lenses, corneal rings, or ocular implants

If you are an ophthalmic device manufacturer dealing with limited product lines for corneal disease — this project developed GMP-fabricated collagen-based bioengineered scaffolds that can replace or regenerate the corneal stroma. With over 30 million visually impaired Europeans as the addressable population, adding a bioengineered corneal implant to your catalogue opens a major unmet clinical market.

Cell therapy and regenerative medicine

SME

Target: Biotech companies producing stem cell therapies or tissue-engineered products

If you are a cell therapy company looking for new clinical applications — this project validated methods to deliver epithelial stem cells and endothelial cells to restore corneal transparency, with preclinical and phase I/II clinical study pathways already mapped out. The consortium includes 5 SMEs and 6 industry partners across 8 countries, giving you a ready-made network for commercialisation.

Eye banking and tissue processing

any

Target: Eye banks and tissue preservation organisations

If you are an eye bank struggling with chronic donor tissue shortages — this project developed bioengineered scaffolds and cell delivery methods that reduce dependence on human donor corneas. With corneal blindness being the second largest cause of blindness globally and over 30 million affected Europeans, lab-grown alternatives could transform your supply model from scarcity-dependent to manufacturing-based.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or adopt these corneal therapies?

The project does not disclose specific licensing fees or unit production costs. However, the therapies involve GMP-compliant manufacturing of collagen scaffolds and cell preparations, which typically carry significant regulatory and production costs. Interested companies should contact the coordinator to discuss licensing terms.

Can these therapies be manufactured at industrial scale?

The project specifically aimed for GMP-fabricated scaffolds and GMP-compliant cell preparation, which is a prerequisite for industrial-scale manufacturing. The deliverable on optimum carrier materials for porcine endothelial cells shows systematic work on scalable production methods. Full industrial scale would still require manufacturing scale-up and regulatory approval.

What is the IP situation — can I license this technology?

With 15 consortium partners including 6 industry players and 5 SMEs, IP is likely distributed across the consortium under the Horizon 2020 grant agreement. Based on available project data, specific patent filings are not listed, but the clinical-stage technologies likely carry patent protection. A licensing discussion with the coordinator at Linköping University would clarify available IP.

What regulatory approvals are needed to bring this to market?

These are advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) under EU regulation, requiring EMA approval. The project conducted phase I/II clinical studies, meaning initial regulatory engagement has already happened. Any commercial partner would need to continue through phase II/III trials and obtain marketing authorisation.

How far along is this — when could it reach patients?

The project completed preclinical validation and moved into phase I/II human clinical studies before closing in 2020. Based on available project data, the technologies are past proof-of-concept but still require further clinical trials before market deployment. A realistic timeline to market would depend on phase III trial results and regulatory review.

How does this integrate with existing ophthalmic surgical workflows?

The project developed advanced imaging and monitoring methods covering the full cycle from cell and scaffold preparation through surgery to postoperative follow-up. This suggests the therapies were designed to fit within existing ophthalmic surgical settings rather than requiring entirely new infrastructure.

Is there ongoing support or follow-on research?

The project closed in December 2020. Based on available project data, several consortium partners are established research institutions and companies in regenerative ophthalmology. Follow-on activities or spin-off companies may exist — the project website at arrestblindness.eu and the coordinator can provide current status.

Consortium

Who built it

The ARREST BLINDNESS consortium is well-balanced for commercialisation: 15 partners across 8 European countries with a 40% industry ratio and 5 SMEs directly involved. This is a strong signal — it means the technology was not developed in an ivory tower but with commercial players at the table from day one. The coordinator, Linköping University in Sweden, is a recognised centre for corneal regeneration research. The mix of 5 universities, 3 research organisations, and 6 industry partners suggests that manufacturing know-how and regulatory experience were built into the project from the start, which significantly de-risks any licensing or technology transfer discussion.

LINKOPINGS UNIVERSITETCoordinator · SE
ACADEMISCH ZIEKENHUIS LEIDENparticipant · NL
AARHUS UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
REGION OSTERGOTLANDthirdparty · SE
KLINIKUM DER UNIVERSITAET ZU KOELNparticipant · DE
LUDWIG BOLTZMANN GESELLSCHAFT OSTERREICHISCHE VEREINIGUNG ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTLICHEN FORSCHUNGparticipant · AT
UNIVERSITAIR ZIEKENHUIS ANTWERPENparticipant · BE
HAAG STREIT SURGICAL GMBH & CO KGparticipant · DE
UNIVERSIDAD MIGUEL HERNANDEZ DE ELCHEparticipant · ES
MEDIZINISCHES LASERZENTRUM LUBECK GMBHthirdparty · DE

How to reach the team

Linköping University, Sweden — reach out to the Department of Biomedical Engineering or Ophthalmology faculty involved in the project

Order a report on this consortium See LINKOPINGS UNIVERSITET profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

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