The idea: transplant artificial tear glands. “About ten years ago we discovered that it is possible to grow small organs from small pieces of human tissue,” says researcher at the Hubrecht Institute for Developmental Biology and Stem Cell Research. Hans Clevers. The organ that needed urgent examination: the lacrimal gland.
Problems with tear glands, it occurs more and more. Many people suffer from dry eyes or other eye irritations. That problem is often with the tear glands because they produce tears. The tricky part is that this health problem is difficult to cure. There are also few solutions. “Apart from eye drops and artificial tears, not much can be done about it,” says Clevers.
Growing tear glands could therefore be an effective solution. Clevers explains how they work in the laboratory. “A piece of tissue contains stem cells. We can make them active. If you do that from a piece of tear gland tissue, you get tear gland stems, which can then make tear glands again.”
In this way, the researchers hope to be able to transplant them using the cultured lacrimal glands. “We could then renew a tear gland that no longer works.”
Listen to the conversation with Hans Clevers in ‘Nieuwe Feiten’ via Radio 1 Select
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