Conventional approaches for limbal ridge imaging—including slit-lamp examination and in vivo confocal microscopy—often fall short. Slit-lamp inspection misses palisades in up to 20 percent of eyes and lacks sufficient depth discrimination, while confocal techniques require direct corneal contact and anesthesia, carry risks of patient discomfort and iatrogenic damage, and offer only a small field of view with high sensitivity to motion artifacts. Invasive histologic sampling provides definitive detail but precludes longitudinal monitoring. This combination of limited resolution, restricted coverage, procedural complexity and potential injury leaves clinicians without a reliable, repeatable method to map limbal stem cell niches and gauge disease progression or treatment response.
Description
Limbal epithelial stem cells are located in the Palisades of Vogt, a poorly understood structure in the limbus that provides the microenvironment necessary for survival and function of the stem cells. Considerable variability in the size, shape and specific location of the palisades complicates identification and harvesting of stem cells for transplantation. In addition, changes to the palisades take place in the normal course of aging as well as during disease conditions.While confocal microscopy can be used to identify the palisades, it requires direct contact with the eye, is time consuming and covers a very limited area with each scan. Optical Coherence Tomography offers the first opportunity for rapid, non-contact, three-dimensional in-vivo imaging of the Palisades of Vogt. Development of this technique will allow physicians to accurately harvest stem cells for transplantation, to monitor the palisades clinically for better diagnosis, follow-up and staging, and to identify patients at risk for stem cell deficit early in the disease process. This technique will also provide a valuable new tool for researchers investigating ocular disease and will allow the characterization of this ocular structure.
Applications
Limbal stem cell mapping
Corneal transplant suitability assessment
LSCD early detection screening
Ophthalmic research imaging platform
Non-contact ocular health monitoring
Advantages
Rapid, non-contact, high-resolution 3D imaging of the Palisades of Vogt
Precise mapping of the limbal stem cell niche for targeted biopsy planning
Automated classification of scans (healthy, diseased, donor-suitable) improving diagnostic accuracy
Longitudinal monitoring of palisade morphology for early detection of disease progression or transplant failure
Centralized, searchable archive integrating imaging, analytics, and patient metadata
Reduced tissue harvest and enhanced donor eye safety through accurate stem cell assessment
Facilitation of research into limbal stem cell biology and LSCD treatment optimization
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US11730360B2
