Could Corneal Experience Benefit Semilunar Valve Partial Heart Transplantation?

Partial Heart Transplantation (PHT) is a new type of transplant that enables implantation of living allogeneic semilunar valves capable of growing with pediatric patients. Semilunar valve function depends on the integrity of the leaflets, which are thin, avascular tissues composed of endothelial cells, interstitial cells, and extracellular matrix-features that closely parallel the architecture of the cornea. In this paper, we highlight this structural similarity and propose that corneal preservation and immune privilege, which were extensively studied over decades, may be frameworks that are adaptable to semilunar valves in PHT. This concept introduces a potentially impactful direction for improving the storage and viability of transplantable semilunar valves.