In the past few years, intensive research has focused on corneal stem cells as an unlimited source for cell-based therapy in regenerative ophthalmology. Today, it is known that the cornea has at least two types of stem cells: limbal epithelial stem cells (LESCs) and corneal stromal stem cells (CSSCs). LESCs are used for regeneration of corneal surface, while CSSCs are used for regeneration of corneal stroma. Until now, various approaches and methods for isolation of LESCs and CSSCs and their successful transplantation have been described and tested in several preclinical studies and clinical trials. This review describes in detail phenotypic characteristics of LESCs and CSSCs and discusses their therapeutic potential in corneal regeneration. Since efficient and safe corneal stem cell-based therapy is still a challenging issue that requires continuous cooperation between researchers, clinicians, and patients, this review addresses the important limitations and suggests possible strategies for improvement of corneal stem cell-based therapy.

中文翻译：

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角膜干细胞作为基于再生细胞疗法的一种来源。

在过去的几年中，深入的研究集中在角膜干细胞作为再生眼科学中基于细胞的治疗的无限来源。今天，已知角膜具有至少两种类型的干细胞：角膜缘上皮干细胞（LESC）和角膜基质干细胞（CSSC）。LESC用于再生角膜表面，而CSSC用于再生角膜基质。迄今为止，已经在多种临床前研究和临床试验中描述和测试了分离LESC和CSSC及其成功移植的各种方法和方法。这篇综述详细描述了LESCs和CSSCs的表型特征，并讨论了它们在角膜再生中的治疗潜力。