Research of transplantation of autologous oral cell sheets for external auditory canal atresia in a rabbit model, and the cell sheet engineering in clinical usage in Japan.

The objectives of my presentation are introducing my research with autologous mucosal cell sheet, and introducing the clinical therapies with autologous cell sheet in Japan.
Cell sheet engineering is an innovative technology platform used to cultivate an intact sheet form tissue (“cell sheet”) from cells by using “temperature-responsive culture dish” invented in Japan.
My research aims to treat acquired external auditory canal atresia in rabbit model using cell sheet engineering. Acquired external auditory canal atresia is characterized by fibrous tissue formation in the ear canal, hearing loss and chronic otorrhea. This disease is caused by physical stress, infection, and ear surgery. Although the disease can be treated surgically, the recurrence rate is very high. This study explored whether autologous oral mucosal epithelial cell sheets could be used as a novel therapy for ear canal atresia. I generated a rabbit model of acquired external auditory canal atresia by dissecting the skin of the ear canal. Endoscopic and histological findings in this model indicated that atresia developed over a 4-week period. By contrast, transplantation of autologous oral mucosal epithelial cell sheets, which had been fabricated by culture on temperature-responsive inserts without a feeder layer, prevented the development of atresia during the 4-week period after skin dissection. Transplantation of autologous epithelial cell sheets after surgical treatment of acquired external auditory canal atresia could be a promising new method to reduce the risk of disease recurrence with minimally-invasive procedure.
These cell sheet therapies have been widely used for some diseases in clinical site. For example, to prevent atresia of esophagus after Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection (ESD), to prevent recurrence of cholesteatoma otitis media, for surgical treatment of pneumothorax, and so on.
These treatments are minimally-invasive treatment compering to conventional treatments.
Cell sheet engineering could be a capable regenerative therapy.