Pluripotent embryonic-like stem cells derived from corneal limbus, methods of isolation and uses thereof

A method of isolating a population of human pluripotent embryonic-like stem cells (ELSCs), comprising the steps of:

• (a) isolating human corneal limbal tissue from a donor;
• (b) removing the epithelial layer of the human corneal limbal tissue,
• (c) culturing the human corneal limbal tissue on an extracellular matrix to expand corneal limbal cells in culture;
• (d) dissociating the cultured corneal limbal cells from the extracellular matrix;
• and
• (e) isolating a population of human pluripotent ELSCs from the cultured corneal limbal cells by sorting the corneal limbal cells to select for an undifferentiated cell-specific surface marker selected from the group consisting of SSEA-4 and SSEA-3,
• wherein the isolated pluripotent ELSCs are capable of forming embryoid-like bodies when placed in suspension culture and the pluripotent ELSCs remain substantially undifferentiated after 20 passages in culture.