NTU Singapore scientists develop 'contact lens' patch to treat eye diseases,
NTU Singapore scientists develop 'contact lens' patch to treat eye diseases
NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY,
PUBLIC RELEASE: 20-NOV-2018
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) scientists have developed a 'contact lens' patch with micro needles that could provide a painless and efficient alternative to current methods of treating eye diseases such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.
Current localized treatment methods such as eye drops and ointments are hindered by the eye's natural defenses, blinking and tears. Eye injections can be painful and carry a risk of infection and eye damage. As a result, some patients are unable to keep up with the prescribed regime for their eye ailments, many of which require long-term management.
The proof-of-concept patch, successfully tested in mice, is covered with biodegradable micro needles that deliver drugs into the eye in a controlled release. After pressing it onto the eye surface briefly and gently - much like putting on contact lenses - the drug-containing micro needles detach by themselves and stay in the cornea, releasing the drug over time as they dissolve.
When tested on mice with corneal vascularisation, a single application of the patch was 90 per cent more effective in alleviating the condition than applying a single eye drop with 10 times more drug content.
This novel approach, developed by a team led by NTU Singapore Professor Chen Peng from theSchool of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering(SCBE), with clinical insights from Singapore National Eye Centre's Associate Professor Gemmy Cheung, was published in Nature Communications earlier this month.
The team includes Assistant Professor Wang Xiaomeng from NTU's Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, and Assistant Professor Xu Chenjie and research fellow Dr AungThan from SCBE.
See all of it:
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_relea...-nss111918.php
