Publications

Journal Publications

• Bhattacharjee P, Madden PW, Patriarca E, Ahearne M. Optimization and evaluation of oxygen-plasma-modified, aligned, poly (Є-caprolactone) and silk fibroin nanofibrous scaffold for corneal stromal regeneration. Biomat Biosys. 2023; 12: 100083. 10.1016/j.bbiosy.2023.100083 

• Bhattacharjee P, Ahearne M. Silk fibroin based interpenetrating network hydrogel for corneal stromal regeneration. Int J Biol Macromol. 2022; 223: 583-94. 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.11.021

• Bhattacharjee P, Ahearne M. Influence of spiral topographies on human limbal-derived immortalized corneal epithelial cells. Exp Eye Res. 2022; 225: 109252. 10.1016/j.exer.2022.109252.

• Treacy MP, Conway MP, Al Hammoud M, Duignan ES, Ahearne M, Ezra E. Direct exchange of Perfluoro-carbon liquid for silicone oil - a surgical technique to control pressure and avoid retinal slippage. Retina 2022; 10.1097/iae.0000000000003422.

• Fernandez-Perez J, Madden PW, Thomas RT, Nolan PF, Ahearne M. The effect of prior long-term recellularization with keratocytes of decellularized porcine corneas implanted in a rabbit anterior lamellar keratoplasty model. PLos One 2021: 16(6): e0245406. 10.1371/journal.pone.0245406.

• Fernandez-Perez J, Madden PW, Ahearne M. Multilayered fabrication assembly technique to engineer a corneal stromal equivalent. Bio-protocol 2021; 11(6): e3963. 10.21769/BioProtoc.3963

• Khosravimelal S, Mobaraki M, Eftekhari S, Ahearne M, Seifalian AM, Gholipourmalekabadi M. Hydrogels as emerging materials for cornea wound healing. Small 2021; 17(30): 2006335. 10.1002/smll.202006335

• Bhattacharjee P, Ahearne M. Significance of crosslinking approaches in the development of next generation hydrogels for corneal tissue engineering. Pharmaceutics 2021; 31(3): 319. 10.3390/pharmaceutics13030319

• Ahearne M, Fernandez-Perez J, Masterton S, Madden PW, Bhattacharjee P. Designing scaffolds for corneal regeneration. Adv Funct Mater 2020; 30(44): 1908996. 10.1002/adfm.201908996

• Fernandez-Perez J, Madden PW, Ahearne M. Engineering a corneal stromal equivalent using a novel multi-layered fabrication assembly technique. Tissue Eng A 2020; 26: 1030-1041. 10.1089/ten.TEA.2020.0019

• Bhattacharjee P, Ahearne M. Fabrication and biocompatibility of electro-conductive silk fibroin PEDOT:PSS composites for corneal epithelial regeneration. Polymers 2020; 12(12): 3028. 10.3390/polym12123028

• Madden PW, Klyubin I, Ahearne M. Silk fibroin safety in the eye: A review that highlights a concern. BMJ Open Ophthalmol 2020; 5: e000510. 10.1136/bmjophth-2020-000510

• Bhattacharjee P, Cavanagh BL, Ahearne M. Influence of micropatterned substrates on keratocyte phenotype. Sci Rep 2020; 10: 6679.  10.1038/s41598-020-62640-5

• Fernandez-Perez J, Kador K, Lynch A, Ahearne M. Characterization of extracellular matrix modified poly(e-caprolactone) electrospun scaffolds with differing fiber orientations for corneal stroma regeneration. Mater Sci Eng C 2020; 108: 110415. 10.1016/j.msec.2019.110415

• Bhattacharjee P, Cavanagh BL, Ahearne M. Effect of substrate topography on the regulation of human corneal stromal cells. Colloids Surf B Biointerfaces 2020; 190: 110971. 10.1016/j.colsurfb.2020.110971

• Fernandez-Perez J, Ahearne M. Decellularization and recellularization of cornea: Progress towards a donor alternative. Methods 2020; 117:86-96. 10.1016/j.ymeth.2019.05.009

• Masterton S, Ahearne M. Influence of polydimethylsiloxane substrate stiffness on corneal epithelial cells. Roy Soc Open Sci 2019; 6: 191796. 10.1098/rsos.191796

• Bhattacharjee P, Fernandez-Perez J, Ahearne M. Potential for combined delivery of riboflavin and all-trans retinoic acid from silk fibroin matrix for corneal bioengineering. Mater Sci Eng C 2019; 105: 110093. 10.1016/j.msec.2019.110093

• Fernandez-Perez J, Ahearne M. Influence of decellularization technique on properties of extracellular matrix derived hydrogels. Sci Rep 2019; 9: 14933. 10.1038/s41598-019-49575-2

• Masterton S, Ahearne M. The effect of calcium and glucose concentration on a corneal epithelial cell lines differentiation, proliferation and focal adhesion expression. Biores Open Access 2019; 8(1): 74-83. 10.1089/biores.2018.0036

• Fernandez-Perez J, Ahearne M. Influence of biochemical cues on human corneal stromal cell phenotype. Cur Eye Res. 2019; 44(2): 135-146. 10.1080/02713683.2018.1536216

• Masterton S, Ahearne M. Mechanobiology of the corneal epithelium. Exp Eye Res. 2018; 177: 122-129. 10.1016/j.exer.2018.08.001

• Lynch AP, Ahearne M. Retinoic acid enhances the differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells towards a keratocyte phenotype in vitro. Trans Vis Sci Tech. 2017; 6(6): 1-11. 10.1167/tvst.6.1.6

• Lynch AP, O'Sullivan F, Ahearne M. Effect of growth factor supplementation on corneal stromal cell phenotype in vitro using serum free media. Exp Eye Res. 2016; 151: 26-37. 10.1016/j.exer.2016.07.015

• Lynch AP, Wilson SL, Ahearne M. Dextran preserves native corneal structure during decellularization. Tissue Eng C. 2016; 22: 561-572. 10.1089/ten.tec.2016.0017

• Prabhakar A, Lynch AP, Ahearne M. Self-assembled infrapatellar fat-pad cells on a PCL film for cartilage regeneration. Art Organs 2016; 50: 376-384. 10.1111/aor.12565

• Ahearne M. Coyle A. Application of UVA-riboflavin crosslinking to enhance the mechanical properties of extracellular matrix derived hydrogels. J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2016; 54: 259-267. 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2015.09.035

• Ahearne M, Lynch AP. Early observations of extracellular matrix derived hydrogels for corneal stroma regeneration. Tissue Eng C 2015; 21(10): 1059-69. 10.1089/ten.tec.2015.0008

• Wilson SL, Ahearne M Hopkinson A. An overview of current techniques for ocular toxicity testing. Toxicology 2015; 327: 34-46. 10.1016/j.tox.2014.11.003

• Ahearne M, Lysaght J, Lynch AP. Combined influence of basal media and fibroblast growth factor on the expansion and subsequent differentiation capabilities of adipose derived stem cells. Cell Regeneration 2014; 3: 13. 10.1186/2045-9769-3-13

• Ahearne M. Introduction to cell-hydrogel mechanosensing. Interface Focus 2014; 4:20130038. 10.1098/rsfs.2013.0038

• Ahearne M, Liu Y, Kelly DJ. Combining freshly isolated chondroprogenitor cells from the infrapatellar fat pad with a growth factor delivery hydrogel as a putative single stage therapy for articular cartilage repair. Tissue Eng A 2014; 20(5-6): 930-939. 10.1089/ten.tea.2013.0267

• Lynch AP, Ahearne M. Strategies for developing decellularized corneal scaffolds. Exp Eye Res 2013; 108: 42-47. 10.1016/j.exer.2012.12.012

• Ahearne M, Kelly DJ. A comparison of fibrin, agarose and gellan gum hydrogels as carriers of stem cells and growth factor delivery microspheres for cartilage regeneration. Biomed Mater 2013; 8(035004): 1-10. 10.1088/1748-6041/8/3/035004

• Wilson SL, Wimpenny I, Ahearne M, Rauz S, El Haj AJ, Yang Y. Chemical and topographical effects on cell differentiation and matrix elasticity in a corneal stromal layer model. Adv Funct Mater 2012; 22(17): 3641-3649. 10.1002/adfm.201200655

• Vinardel T, Rolfe RA, Buckley CT, Meyer EG, Ahearne M, Murphy P, Kelly DJ. Hydrostatic pressure acts to stabilise a chondrogenic phenotype in porcine joint tissue derived stem cells. Euro Cells Mater J 2012; 23: 121-134. 10.22203/eCM.v023a09

• Ahearne M, Buckley CT, Kelly DJ. Chondrogenesis of infrapatellar fat-pad MSCs using TGF-ß1 loaded gelatin microspheres in fibrin hydrogels. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 2011; 58(5): 345-352. 10.1002/bab.45

• Yang Y, Wimpenny I, Ahearne M. Portable nanofiber meshes dictate cell orientation throughout three-dimensional hydrogels. Nanomedicine NBM 2011; 7(2): 131-136. 10.1016/j.nano.2010.12.011

• Then KY, Yang Y, Ahearne M, El Haj AJ. Effect of microtopographical cues on human keratocyte orientation and gene expression. Cur Eye Res 2011; 36(2): 88-93. 10.3109/02713683.2010.512407

• Ahearne M, Liu KK, El Haj A, Then KY, Rauz S, Yang Y. Online monitoring of the mechanical behaviour of collagen hydrogels: Influence of corneal fibroblasts on elastic modulus. Tissue Eng C 2010; 16(2): 319-327. 10.1089/ten.tec.2008.0650

• Ahearne M, Wilson SL, Liu KK, El Haj AJ, Rauz S, Yang Y. Influence of cell and collagen concentration on the cell-matrix mechanical relationship in a corneal stroma wound healing model. Exp Eye Res 2010; 91(5): 584-591. 10.1016/j.exer.2010.07.013

• Li C, Ahearne M, Liu KK. Micromechanical characterizations of hydrogel based contact lens. Inter J Mod Phys B 2010; 24(1): 117-127. 10.1142/S0217979210064046

• Ahearne M, Siamantouras E, Yang Y, Liu KK. Mechanical characterization of biomimetic membranes by micro-shaft-poking. J R Soc Interface 2009; 6(34): 471-478. 10.1098/rsif.2008.0317

• Ahearne M, Yang Y, Then KY, Liu KK. Non-destructive mechanical characterization of UVA/riboflavin crosslinked collagen hydrogels. Br J Ophthalmol 2008; 92(2): 268-271. 10.1136/bjo.2007.130104

• Ahearne M, Bagnaninchi PO, El Haj AJ, Yang Y. Online monitoring of collagen alignment in tissue engineered tendon by PSOCT. J Tissue Eng Regen Med 2008; 2(8): 521-524. 10.1002/term.124

• Yang Y, Bagnaninchi P, Ahearne M, Wang R, Liu KK. A novel OCT-based micro-indentation technique for mechanical characterization of hydrogels. J R Soc Interface 2007; 4(17): 1169-1173. 10.1098/rsif.2007.1044

• Ahearne M, Yang Y, Then KY, Liu KK. An indentation technique to characterize the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of human and porcine corneas. Ann Biomed Eng 2007; 35(9): 1608-1616. 10.1007/s10439-007-9323-9

• Ahearne M, Yang Y, El Haj AJ, Then KY, Liu KK. Characterizing the viscoelastic properties of thin hydrogel-based constructs for tissue engineering applications. J R Soc Interface 2005; 2(5): 455-463. 10.1098/rsif.2005.0065

Books Edited

• Ahearne M. Corneal Regeneration Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology Series, Vol 2145, Springer, 2020.

Book Chapters

• Ahearne M. Production of decellularized tissue-derived materials. In: Raquel Maia F, Oliveira JM and Reis RL, Eds. Handbook of the Extracellular Matrix, Elsevier, 2024; 32 823-840. 10.1007/978-3-031-56363-8_41

• Ahearne M. Mechanical testing of hydrogels. In: Li H, Silberschmidt VV, Eds. The Mechanics of Hydrogels: Mechanical Properties, Testing, and Applications, Elsevier, 2023; 41 1-18. 10.1007/978-3-030-92090-6_41-1 

• Ahearne M, Fernandez-Perez J. Fabrication of corneal extracellular-matrix derived hydrogels. In: Ahearne M, Eds. Corneal Regeneration Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology Series, Springer, 2020; 2145(11). 10.1007/978-1-0716-0599-8_11

• Kabak E, Fernandez-Perez J, Ahearne M. Development and Validation of a 3D In Vitro Model to Study the Chemotactic Behavior of Corneal Stromal Fibroblasts. In: Ahearne M, Eds. Corneal Regeneration Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Biology Series, Springer, 2020; 2145(13). 10.1007/978-1-0716-0599-8_13

• Ahearne M. Corneal extracellular matrix decellularization. In: Caballero D, Kundu SC, Reis RL, Eds. Methods in Cell Biology: Cell-Derived Matrices Part B, Elsevier, 2020; 157(11). 10.1016/bs.mcb.2019.10.013

• Wilson SL, Ahearne M, El Haj AJ, Yang Y. The mechanical characterization of hydrogels and its implication on the cellular activities. In: Connon CJ, Hamley IW, Eds. Hydrogels in Cell-Based Therapies 2014; 8: 171-190. 10.1039/9781782622055-00171

• Ahearne M, Yang Y, Liu KK. Mechanical characterisation of hydrogels for tissue engineering applications. In: Ashammakhi N, Reis R, Chiellini, F, Eds. Topics in Tissue Engineering 2008; 4(12).