The influence of femtosecond laser intrastromal lenticules on the characteristics and maturity in tissue-engineered stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium sheets

• dfLEN scaffolds support the formation of iRPE monolayers with native-like morphology and physiology, enhancing functional maturity compared to standard tissue culture plates. • Culturing iRPE on dfLEN increases cellular resistance to oxidative stress and improves functional properties, potentially boosting transplantation efficacy. • dfLEN upregulates genes associated with cilium assembly, leading to enhanced ciliogenesis in iRPE cells, a novel finding for RPE tissue engineering. • iRPE-dfLEN sheets show favorable biocompatibility and viability after subretinal transplantation in rabbits for 14 days, supporting their potential for future clinical applications.