Corneal Organoids: a New Model for Eye Irritation Assessment and Ophthalmic Drug Screening
CUI Tingting1,2, DENG Wenchang2,3, LI Hua1,2,3*
The cornea serves as a critical barrier of the ocular surface and is susceptible to damage from pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and environmental irritants. Traditional animal experiments and two-dimensional mod els fall short in accurately simulating human ocular responses. Corneal organoids—three-dimensional in vitro mod els constructed from primary tissues or through directed differentiation of stem cells—are primarily employed in developmental studies and corneal disease modeling. They also support ocular irritation assessment and ophthalmic drug screening. Compared with conventional animal experiments, these organoids better capture human physiologi cal reactions, offering a viable alternative that reduces ethical concerns. Looking ahead, integration with engineered platforms such as organ-on-a-chip or MPS (microphysiological system), along with the refinement of evaluation standards, is expected to advance corneal organoids toward reproducible, quantifiable, and clinically relevant trans lational applications. This review systematically summarizes their construction strategies and highlights recent ad vancements in their use for evaluating chemical and cosmetic eye irritation, screening anti-inflammatory and anti infective drugs, and integrating with high-throughput platforms.
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