New Delhi-based eyecare institute Dr Shroff’s Charity Eye Hospital has collaborated with Bengaluru-based Pandorum Technologies to inaugurate a one-of-its-kind centre- Shroff-Pandorum for Ocular Regeneration (SP-CORE) centre, offering advanced regenerative therapeutics for patients suffering from corneal blindness.

The initiative hopes to help in bridging the demand-access for cornea availability by making regenerative treatments accessible for millions.

According to the WHO, corneal opacity accounts for over 4% of blindness worldwide, leading to more than 1.5–2 million cases each year. India has a huge burden of bilateral (1.2 million) and unilateral (5 - 6 million) corneal blindness. 

The ‘Bioengineered Cornea’ is a class of products powered by tissue-specific exosomes and tissue-mimetic biomaterials, to promote regeneration of healthy functional cornea. When this is applied as liquid drops on the cornea, it solidifies in less than 10 minutes using visible light and integrates to the patient’s cornea. Inside the solidified matrix, the biopolymer acts as sacrificial material supporting sustained release of exosomes which supresses the ulceration defining condition like inflammation, reverses fibrosis, regenerates nerves and restores corneal thickness.