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Seminars
V-Cornea: A computational model of corneal epithelium homeostasis, injury, and recovery
Joel Vanin
University of Florida
Abstract
Injuries to the cornea are a common health concern, typically resulting from chemical exposure, physical trauma, infection, or environmental damage. Current methods for assessing eye irritation often rely on animal testing or simplified laboratory assays that provide only static snapshots of tissue damage. Clinical time series data on recovery are limited, making predicting long-term healing outcomes and distinguishing between superficial injuries (completely healed) versus deeper injuries (with persistent complications) difficult. To address these limitations in understanding and predicting corneal recovery, we developed V-Cornea, a computer simulation of the human corneal epithelium. By programming individual virtual cells with biologically-motivated rules for growth, movement, differentiation, and death, our model accurately builds and maintains the tissue’s layered structure and continuous 7–14 day renewal cycle. Crucially, the simulation mimics clinical healing patterns: superficial injuries repair fully within 3–5 days, while deeper injuries compromising the basement membrane lead to incomplete healing and instability resembling recurrent corneal erosion. This virtual tissue approach demonstrates how microscopic cellular mechanisms drive tissue-level recovery in the cornea. V-Cornea offers a flexible, animal-free platform for investigating chemical toxicity mechanisms and optimizing therapeutic interventions for corneal injuries, providing mechanistic insights into wound healing that are unattainable through traditional experimental assays.