Development of a novel implantable biodegradable device for sustained ocular drug delivery

在英国，每天有超过250人开始失明，这对英国国民健康保险制度和全球医疗体系构成了重大的健康挑战。视网膜下或视网膜内新血管的生长和渗漏的液体会导致严重的眼部疾病，如65岁以上成年人的老年性黄斑变性(AMD)。年长的。例如，在英国，每天有近400人被诊断为AMD。近48%的英国成年人因AMD而失明，AMD会影响老年人的中央视力，使阅读、看电视、开车或辨认面孔等简单的日常任务变得困难。随着寿命的延长和肥胖发病率的增加，这些疾病的患病率将继续上升。目前，眼科医生对AMD患者的治疗方法是将昂贵的含水生物制剂直接注射到眼睛中。然而，每月注射的需要导致患者依从性差，因为几个不想要的影响，包括眼睛出血，不适，发红，刺激和眼压升高。一个主要问题是往返医院的路程，62%的患者需要护送-导致依从性差。AMD患者数量的增加，再加上每月注射的需要，给捉襟见肘的NHS带来了压力。黄斑学会、皇家眼科学会和皇家国家盲人研究所的调查一致表明，许多诊所未能达到治疗AMD的推荐等待时间；一些临床医生坦率地承认，患者因此失明。Re-Vana开发了一种新型的颠覆性光交联型专有可生物降解缓释药物植入物EyeLef。与目前每月的玻璃体内注射相比，该植入物将提供显著的临床益处。在注射到眼睛后，植入物将在4-6个月的时间内为有效的AMD治疗提供持续的释放。因此，这项研究的影响将为患者、科学家、临床医生、行业和医疗保健提供者等广泛的用户提供重大好处。

In the UK, every day more than 250 people start to lose their sight - creating a major health challenge to the NHS and global healthcare systems. The growth of new blood vessels and leak fluid below or within the retina contributes to severe ocular diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in adults over 65 yrs. old. For example, in the UK, nearly 400 individuals are diagnosed with AMD every day. Nearly 48% of the UK adults are blind due to AMD - which affects the central vision in the elderly making simple daily tasks such as reading, watching TV, driving or recognising faces difficult. With increasing lifespan and the incidence of obesity, the prevalence of these diseases will continue to rise.Currently, ophthalmologists treat their AMD patients by direct injection of expensive aqueous formulations of biologics into the eye. However, the need for monthly injections leads to poor patient compliance due to several unwanted effects including bleeding in the eye, discomfort, redness, irritation and increase in intraocular pressure. A major issue is the travel to and from the hospital, with 62 % of patients requiring escort -- leading to poor adherence. The rise in the number of AMD patients combined with the need for monthly injections puts pressure on a stretched NHS. Surveys by the Macular Society, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, and the Royal National Institute of Blind People, have consistently show that many clinics fail to meet recommended waiting times for AMD treatment; and some clinicians frankly admit that patients have lost sight as a result.Re-Vana has developed a novel disruptive photocrosslinked proprietary biodegradable sustained release drug delivery implant, EyeLief. The implant will provide significant clinical benefits over current monthly intravitreal injections. Following injection into the eye, the implant would provide a continuous release for effective AMD treatment over a 4-6 months period. Therefore, the impact of this research will offer major benefits to a wide variety of users such as patients, scientists, clinicians, industry and healthcare providers.