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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.

Sec. Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine

Photocrosslinked Dual-Network Hydrogel for Sutureless Corneal Stromal Lenticule lmplantation

Provisionally accepted
Long Xiang YiLong Xiang Yi1Yue SongYue Song1qun Li Chenqun Li Chen1ye Ri Suye Ri Su1Bo LiuBo Liu2hui Xiao Tanghui Xiao Tang2,3Qing WeiQing Wei2,3bo Ying Wangbo Ying Wang2*bo Wen Chengbo Wen Cheng1*
  • 1Department of Ophthalmology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China
  • 2College of Chemical Engineering, Xinjiang Normal University, Urumqi, China
  • 3The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi, China

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Corneal stromal lenticules obtained through small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) procedures offer a valuable graft material for therapeutic applications. Current clinical utilization faces challenges due to intrinsic thinness (<140 μm) and restricted dimensions (generally around 6.6 mm). This study introduced a novel approach to enable the construction of customizable corneal grafts by stacking lenticules, achieving specific thickness and diameter for diverse corneal defects,using photo-crosslinked dual-network hydrogels based on methacrylated gelatin (GelMA). In vitro characterization confirmed the hydrogel's suitable morphological architecture, optical clarity, and excellent biocompatibility, establishing it as an optimal biological adhesive for sutureless graft implantation. This multi-lenticule encapsulation strategy using the hydrogels successfully reconstructed experimental rabbit corneal defects (7.0-mm diameter) in vivo. Over a 5-week postoperative period, the hydrogel demonstrated controlled biodegradation while maintaining structural integrity and optical functionality throughout tissue remodeling. It effectively adhered to the surrounding stromal tissues and supported epithelial regeneration over the transplanted grafts. The study demonstrates sutureless-free corneal stromal lenticule implantation, enabled by the GelMA-based photocrosslinked dual-network hydrogel, addressed the limitations of individual SMILE lenticules. the GelMA-based photocrosslinked dual-network hydrogel serves as both a biocompatible adhesive for multi-lenticule implantation and an optimal functional material for reconstructing corneal defects.

Keywords: Corneal stromal lenticule, Hydrogel, Sutureless CornealTransplantation, Tissue Engineering, Wound Healing

Received: 10 Dec 2025; Accepted: 09 Feb 2026.

Copyright: © 2026 Yi, Song, Chen, Su, Liu, Tang, Wei, Wang and Cheng. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
bo Ying Wang
bo Wen Cheng

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material