Serious diseases affecting the transparent part of the eye, called the cornea, are very difficult to treat because this structure lacks blood vessels and has limited regenerative and repair capacity. Many patients with severe corneal pathologies can only be treated with a transplant, which involves removing the damaged cornea and replacing it with a healthy cornea from a donor.

Now, researchers from the Tissue Engineering Group of the Department of Histology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Granada and the ibs.GRANADA Biosanitary Research Institute have created highly biocompatible, resistant, and transparent corneal implants from the scales of various types of fish commonly found in the market, such as carp.

“Although conventional transplantation usually offers good results, it is necessary to develop new, effective regeneration methods that do not depend on organ donation, which is subject to waiting lists,” explains Miguel Alaminos, Professor of Histology at the University of Granada.

A thorough analysis of fish scales has demonstrated their potential usefulness for corneal repair and regeneration, with good functional results both in the laboratory and in experimental animals to which this material has been implanted.

“These results not only provide us with a new product potentially useful for treating corneal diseases, but also highlight the value of a natural resource derived from fishing, an activity of great economic importance in the province of Granada. Due to its origin, this product is very accessible, easy to obtain, and inexpensive, and could contribute to boosting the fishing sector in an area that is currently facing numerous restrictions and limitations,” explains Ingrid Garzón, Professor of Histology at the University of Granada.

The research, which was announced with the presence of Miguel Alaminos, Ingrid Garzón and the manager of the "San Cecilio" Clinical Hospital, Manuel Reyes, has been developed in the Tissue Engineering laboratories of the Department of Histology of the University of Granada, financed with funds from the Carlos III Health Institute of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities of Spain (project PI23/00335).