Degradable Microneedle Arrays for User-Directed Nanomedicine Delivery for the Treatment of Glaucoma

这项研究涉及用于治疗青光眼的药物微针阵列(MNS)的设计和开发；青光眼是全球不可逆性失明的主要原因，随着年龄的增长，青光眼的患病率不断增加。由于MNS的亚微米尺寸，它们提供了一种微创、用户导向、可持续的给药途径。MNS的设计和开发将使用FDA批准的药物疗法的聚合物，以及它们的化学和机械性能优化后的给药。传统青光眼治疗方法(眼药水)和含有治疗药物的MNS之间的疗效比较将使用放射分析和体外角膜模型进行评估。

This studentship involves the design and development of drug containing microneedle arrays (MNs) for the treatment of glaucoma; the leading cause of global irreversible blindness, which increases in prevalence with advancing age. Due to MNs sub-micron size they provide a minimally invasive, user-directed, sustained drug administration route. MNs will be designed and developed using polymers from FDA approved drug therapies and their chemical and mechanical properties optimised for administration. Comparisons between the efficacy of traditional glaucoma treatments (eye drops) and MNs containing therapeutics will be assessed using radiometric analysis and an ex vivo corneal model.