Glaucoma is the leading cause of global irreversible blindness, necessitating research for new, more efficacious treatment options than currently exist. Trabecular meshwork (TM) cells play an important role in the maintenance and function of the aqueous outflow pathway, and studies have found that there is decreased cellularity of the TM in glaucoma. Regeneration of the TM with stem cells has been proposed as a novel therapeutic option by several reports over the last few decades.

Stem cells have the capacity for self-renewal and the potential to differentiate into adult functional cells. Several types of stem cells have been investigated in ocular regenerative medicine: tissue specific stem cells, embryonic stem cells, induced pluripotent stem cells, and adult mesenchymal stem cells. These cells have been used in various glaucoma animal models and ex vivo models and have shown success in IOP homeostasis and TM cellularity restoration. They have also demonstrated stability without serious side effects for a significant period of time.

Based on current knowledge of TM pathology in glaucoma and existing literature regarding stem cell regeneration of this tissue, we propose a human clinical study as the next step in understanding this potentially revolutionary treatment paradigm. The ability to protect and replace TM cells in glaucomatous eyes could change the field forever.

青光眼是全球不可逆性失明的主要原因，因此需要研究比目前更有效的新治疗方案。小梁网 (TM) 细胞在房水流出通路的维持和功能中发挥着重要作用，研究发现青光眼中 TM 的细胞结构减少。过去几十年来，一些报告提出用干细胞再生 TM 作为一种新的治疗选择。

干细胞具有自我更新的能力和分化成成体功能细胞的潜力。眼再生医学中已经研究了几种类型的干细胞：组织特异性干细胞、胚胎干细胞、诱导多能干细胞和成体间充质干细胞。这些细胞已用于各种青光眼动物模型和离体模型，并在 IOP 稳态和 TM 细胞结构恢复方面取得了成功。它们还表现出在很长一段时间内的稳定性，没有严重的副作用。

根据目前对青光眼 TM 病理学的了解以及有关该组织干细胞再生的现有文献，我们提出一项人体临床研究，作为理解这种潜在革命性治疗范例的下一步。保护和替换青光眼眼中的TM细胞的能力可能会永远改变这个领域。