Failed allogeneic corneal lenticules show fibrosis and identity loss without dominant T cell rejection

Six explants from three patients with failed allogeneic corneal stromal lenticules show a fibrotic integration-failure state with corneal identity loss, without a dominant T cell rejection program.

• Why it matters: Progressive opacity after lenticule implantation is linked to unknown tissue states, and it is unclear whether failure reflects classic adaptive rejection or maladaptive stromal remodeling.
• What they did: The authors profiled scar-matrix, transparency, and corneal-identity programs and reconstructed immune programs and repertoires, separating the six explants from eight unimplanted donor controls using independent single-cell references.
• The result: Exchange and immunomodulation suppressed canonical rejection while scar and identity responses diverged; in non-scarring rabbit repair, identity moved toward uninjured state as backscatter normalized, implying integration and rejection are separable targets.

AI summary of the abstract · may contain errors · not medical advice · read the paper.