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Conference report highlights new research into drug delivery to treat eye disease
November 18, 2008Group explores alternatives to surgery and intravitreous injection
Rockville, MD - Researchers are investigating microneedles, nanoparticles and polymer carriers as potential new techniques to combat the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in the United States, according to a report from the Third Annual ARVO/Pfizer Ophthalmics Research Institute Conference.
The report (http://www.iovs.org/cgi/content/full/49/11/4712) includes summaries from seven sessions on techniques for ocular drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye and includes the findings of and opinions of more than 30 top ophthalmic researchers, brought together by the ARVO Foundation for Eye Research. The article in the November issue of Investigative Opthalmology & Visual Science defines the current research and the future needs for ocular drug delivery.
Diseases of the posterior segment of the eye are responsible for the majority of visual impairment and blindness cases in the United States, according to George Williams, MD. Until recently, these diseases were primarily treated with surgery, but recent developments in drug therapies have either replaced or complemented surgery.
But the challenge lies in delivering the drugs. Topical delivery such as ointments and drops are fairly ineffective, and delivery via intravitreous injection (an injection into the fluid in the behind the lens in the eye) can be hard on the patient. According to the report, "Improved drug delivery technologies that provide optimal pharmacokinetics, dose intervals and less invasive routes of administration are needed."
During the two-day event, John Heckenlively, MD, joined Jayakrishna Ambarti, MD, in a session on animal models of posterior ocular diseases. Allan Hoffman, ScD, discussed the design of polymer carriers for intracellular delivery of biomolecular drugs, such as peptides, proteins and nucleic acid drugs. His group is focused on using a family of acid-sensitive polymers to help deliver one of the latest drugs, silencing RNA (siRNA).
Another group of presenters discussed the use of nanoparticles, microbeads and microneedles. Mansoor M. Amiji, PhD, said that nanoparticles can help overcome barriers to drug delivery from the organ level to the subcellular level. Another research laboratory was investigating the effectiveness of hollow and solid microneedles that penetrate only hundreds of micrometers into the cornea or sclera to deliver drugs.
A safer alternative to direct intravitreous injections might be transscleral delivery into the vitreous using subconjunctival injections, said Michael Robinson, MD, adding that researchers needed a clear understanding of the dynamic barriers for the technique to work in treating retinal diseases. Another researcher in this area, Dayle H. Geroski, PhD, suggested that the relatively high permeability of the sclera offers great potential for transscleral drug delivery, especially for administration to the posterior part of the eye.
Other research focused on photodynamic therapy, which uses a photosensitizer agent that localizes more or less selectively to the target tissue and is activated by light, triggering chemical reactions that injure the target tissue.
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Diseases of the posterior segment of the eye are responsible for the majority of visual impairment and blindness cases in the United States, according to George Williams, MD. Until recently, these diseases were primarily treated with surgery, but recent developments in drug therapies have either replaced or complemented surgery.
But the challenge lies in delivering the drugs. Topical delivery such as ointments and drops are fairly ineffective, and delivery via intravitreous injection (an injection into the fluid in the behind the lens in the eye) can be hard on the patient. According to the report, "Improved drug delivery technologies that provide optimal pharmacokinetics, dose intervals and less invasive routes of administration are needed."
During the two-day event, John Heckenlively, MD, joined Jayakrishna Ambarti, MD, in a session on animal models of posterior ocular diseases. Allan Hoffman, ScD, discussed the design of polymer carriers for intracellular delivery of biomolecular drugs, such as peptides, proteins and nucleic acid drugs. His group is focused on using a family of acid-sensitive polymers to help deliver one of the latest drugs, silencing RNA (siRNA).
Another group of presenters discussed the use of nanoparticles, microbeads and microneedles. Mansoor M. Amiji, PhD, said that nanoparticles can help overcome barriers to drug delivery from the organ level to the subcellular level. Another research laboratory was investigating the effectiveness of hollow and solid microneedles that penetrate only hundreds of micrometers into the cornea or sclera to deliver drugs.
A safer alternative to direct intravitreous injections might be transscleral delivery into the vitreous using subconjunctival injections, said Michael Robinson, MD, adding that researchers needed a clear understanding of the dynamic barriers for the technique to work in treating retinal diseases. Another researcher in this area, Dayle H. Geroski, PhD, suggested that the relatively high permeability of the sclera offers great potential for transscleral drug delivery, especially for administration to the posterior part of the eye.
Other research focused on photodynamic therapy, which uses a photosensitizer agent that localizes more or less selectively to the target tissue and is activated by light, triggering chemical reactions that injure the target tissue.
Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology
Eye Disease Current Events and Eye Disease News RSSCataract surgery helps AMD patients; steroid improves DME; online eye health forum
This month's Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (Academy) reports on a national study that finds cataract surgery is likely to benefit patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at all stages of the disease, on a clinical trial showing that the steroid triamcinolone may be effective in advanced diabetic macular edema (DME) patients when standard treatment fails, and on the public's use of two Academy-sponsored online eye health forums.
Experimental treatments restore partial vision to blind people
Two experimental treatments, a retinal prosthesis and fetal tissue transplant, restored some vision to people with blinding eye diseases. The findings, presented at Neuroscience 2009, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health, may lead to new treatments for the blind.
Cancer drug is no different in effectiveness as gold standard treatment for macular degeneration
Investigators from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and the VA Boston Healthcare System have shown, at 6 months in a small group of patients, that there is no difference in efficacy between Bevacizumab (Avastin) and Ranibizumab (Lucentis) for the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Toronto researchers discover novel circulation in human eye, new glaucoma treatment target
Researchers at the University of Toronto, St. Michael's Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre have discovered a previously unidentified form of circulation within the human eye which may provide important new insights into glaucoma, a leading cause of blindness.
International conference on endothelin
One of the most intriguing developments in recent medical science is the discovery of the human chemical endothelin (ET).
JDRF-funded studies show regular CGM use increases diabetes control for all age groups
The latest data from groundbreaking human clinical trials of the effectiveness of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) show that the primary determinant of improvements in achieving better diabetes control is regular use of monitors - six days per week or more - rather than the age of patients, and that benefits continue well past the time when people with type 1 diabetes begin using the devices - including experiencing fewer low blood sugar emergencies.
Elevated arginase levels contribute to vascular eye disease such as diabetic retinopathy
Elevated levels of the enzyme arginase contribute to vascular eye damage and Medical College of Georgia researchers say therapies to normalize its levels could halt progression of potentially blinding diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.
Anti-growth factor drugs raise hope and concern for treatment of children's eye diseases
A new class of antibody drugs may provide a powerful new tool for the treatment of eye diseases in children, but specialists need to be alert for the possibility of serious side effects, according to an editorial in the August Journal of AAPOS (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus), published by Elsevier.
Natural Compound Stops Diabetic Retinopathy
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center have found a way to use a natural compound to stop one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States.
U finds treatment that significantly slows progression of eye damage in persons with type 1 diabetes
University of Minnesota Medical School researcher Michael Mauer, M.D., has found a treatment that significantly slows the progression of eye injury in people with type 1 diabetes, a common complication caused by this disease.
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