Multiomics approach for corneal immunogenicity

Dr Adaeze Ekwe has been awarded an internal grant through the Early Career Research Ideas Scheme (ECRIS) at QUT to pursue her research project studying the effect of ex vivo expansion on the immunogenicity of donor corneal stromal cells (the most numerous cell type in the cornea). Dr Ekwe’s work will add value to the MRFF-funded corneal bioengineering project already underway at QUT, in collaboration with our BIENCO colleagues at other university research institutes and health organisations across Australia.

Subtle changes can occur during the process of expanding cells cultured from donated eye tissues. It is not yet clear if or how the expansion process alters the risk of immune rejection. Dr Ekwe will sample cells from the original donated tissue and at various times throughout the cell expansion process, using single-cell RNA sequencing to compare the cell populations for the presence and absence of cellular markers indicative of immune rejection risk. Flow cytometry techniques (shown in diagram, below) can then be applied to select only the cells with low immunogenicity (i.e. cells showing no or low levels of immune rejection risk markers) to continue in the cell expansion process, resulting in a safer and potentially longer-lasting corneal transplant.

This will be the first study to use single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate the risk of potential immune rejection in cultured human stromal cells. The results will have direct impact on the preparation and use of cultured stromal cells to treat corneal blindness, addressing key questions about the subpopulations within cultured stromal cells and their applicability for clinical use and advancing the field of corneal tissue bioengineering.