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About
Dr Karl David Brown
Research Fellow, Corneal Research
Dr Karl David Brown is a research scientist working to develop engineered tissues and cell therapies to treat blinding corneal disease.
Dr Karl David Brown
Research Fellow, Corneal Research
BSc, MPhil, PhD
Dr Karl David Brown’s research endeavours to develop tissue-engineered and cell therapy treatments to replace corneal transplants, thereby overcoming issues of supply, rejection, and the need for immunosuppression.
He was awarded a PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2015 for his thesis entitled “Improved corneal tissue-engineering”. In 2020 he was awarded a DHB Foundation Fellowship.
Dr Brown is the chief laboratory scientist for an ongoing Australian clinical pilot study of the use of cultivated limbal epithelium, an adult stem cell therapy for severe non-healing corneal epithelial defects. He is the chief cell biologist in a collaboration to develop a tissue engineered corneal endothelium for clinical use.
Dr Brown is a polished communicator. He has given five international invited talks.
He has won six conference presentation prizes including the Best Oral Free Paper (Anterior Segment) 28th Asia Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology Congress Hyderabad India. His work on tissue engineering and cell therapies for the cornea has also attracted media attention including radio and newspapers.
Current projects
Selected publications
Key collaborators
Funding and support
Current projects
- Developing a tissue engineered equivalent to the donor tissue lenticule currently used for endothelial keratoplasty (DSAEK), ‘suture-less corneal transplant’
- Investigating the use of induced pluripotent stem cells to treat corneal endothelial disease
- Developing a new donor tissue delivery device to improve endothelial keratoplasty
Selected publications
Brown KD, Dusting G, Daniell M (2020) Emerging Technologies to Solve the Key Issues in Endothelial Keratoplasty (review). Current Ophthalmology Reports Aug. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40135-020-00251-z
Brown KD, Low S, Mariappan I, Abberton K, Short R, Zhang H, Maddileti S, Sangwan V, Steele D, and Daniell M (2014). Plasma polymer-coated contact lenses for the culture and transfer of corneal epithelial cells in the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency. Tissue Engineering Part A 20(3-4):646-655. DOI: 10.1089/ten.TEA.2013.0089
Ozcelik B, Brown KD, Blencowe A, Daniell M, Stevens GW, and Qiao G (2014). Ultrathin, biodegradable and biocompatible poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogel films for corneal endothelium regeneration. Advanced Healthcare Materials. Sep;3(9):1496-507. DOI: 10.1002/adhm.201400045
Ridgway P, Brown KD, Rangasammy D., Svenssen U, and Tremethick DJ (2004). Unique residues on the H2A.Z containing nucleosome surface are important for Xenopus laevis development. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 279, 43815-43820. DOI: 10.1074/jbc.M408409200
Key collaborators
- Mark Daniell (CERA)
- Prof Jean-Pierre Scheerlinck (University of Melbourne)
- Prof Greg Qiao (University of Melbourne)
- Lions Eye Donation Service
- Eversight (USA)
Funding and support
Thank you to the following organisations for their support:
- DHB Foundation Fellowship
- NHMRC Dora Lush Postgraduate Research Scholarship
- Lions’ Inaugural Corneal Fellowship
- Myra Stoicesco Charitable Trust Grant
- Ophthalmic Research Institute of Australia Grant
- Melbourne Abroad Travel Scholarship
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