Erika Bonacci

Curriculum

•   CV Eng   (docx, en, 406 KB, 08/03/21)

Breve descrizione di area e attività di ricerca attuale e pregressa

- Limbal stem cell deficiency: corneal transparency is essential to guarantee the vision and the limbus (site of corneal stem cell -LSC) plays a key role. In case of damage to the corneal limbus - limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) - the cornea becomes vascularized and opaque leading to corneal blindness. The incidence of corneal blindness is 8 million working age people worldwide with a health care expense of £ 150 billion a year. Corneal limbus restoration is pivotal for corneal graft survival and to resolve corneal blindness. Currently, the majority of LSCD causes are orphaned from therapy. The current aim of my research is to identify the mechanisms underlying the regeneration and differentiation of LSC and to increase the success rate of Simple Limbal Epithelial Transplantation (SLET) by guiding the regeneration of LSCs pharmacologically. The project involves the development of a pharmacologically enriched biomatrix and the introduction of eye drops that will allow to guide the regeneration and differentiation of LSCs towards the corneal phenotype, allowing to resolve corneal blindness and rehabilitate the patient to relational and working life. Other research fields, to date, are:

- Pseudophakic refractive surgery: modern cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation has achieved excellent results. Monofocal IOLs can commonly provide excellent results for set distances, however, spectacle corrections for other visual distances are required. To date, the demand for complete spectacle independence is high among patients of cataract age and several premium IOLs have been designed in order to satisfy that request.

- Keratoconus: pathology, recurrences, systemic associations in both adults and pediatrics people, and new treatments;

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