Miniature Non-Invasive IOP Measurement Device

在美国，青光眼是导致失明的主要原因，占全球失明的15%。 国家眼科研究所的视力研究计划将确定导致青光眼的生物机制作为国家优先事项。最近的研究表明，许多形式的青光眼都有遗传成分。发展一种无创、准确、可靠的方法测量啮齿动物的眼压，将极大地促进与眼压调节有关的基因的识别以及视网膜和视神经对青光眼损害的易感性。一种非侵入性的小鼠眼压测量技术可以在一只眼睛上重复测量，对于研究年龄、药物和其他因素随着时间的推移对眼压的影响更有用。露娜创新公司与杰克逊实验室的西蒙·约翰博士、凯西眼科研究所的约翰·莫里森博士和梅奥诊所的杰伊·麦克拉伦博士正在开发一种接触面积反馈的非侵入性眼压测量系统 啮齿动物。在第一阶段项目中，露娜创新团队在大鼠测试中展示了原型设备测量眼压和确认平坦区域的能力。这个重新提交的第二阶段提案的重点是优化系统性能，并在啮齿动物研究中完全校准和验证性能。

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States and accounts for 15% of blindness worldwide. The Vision Research Plan for the National Eye Institute establishes identifying the biological mechanisms responsible for glaucoma as a national priority. Recent research indicates that many forms of glaucoma have a genetic component. Development of a non-invasive, accurate, and reliable method to measure IOP in rodents will greatly facilitate the identification of genes involved in IOP regulation and the susceptibility of the retina and the optic nerve to glaucomatous damage. A non-invasive technique for measuring IOP in mice will enable repeated measurements on a single eye and be more useful for investigating the effect of age, drugs, and other factors on IOP over time. Luna Innovations, along with Dr. Simon John at the Jackson Laboratory, Dr. John Morrison at the Casey Eye Institute, and Dr. Jay McLaren at the Mayo Clinic, is developing a system for non-invasive intraocular pressure (IOP) measurement with contact area feedback in rodents. During the Phase I program, the Luna Innovations team demonstrated the ability of a prototype device to measure IOP and confirm applanated area in testing with rats. The focus of this resubmitted Phase II proposal is to optimize system performance and completely calibrate and validate performance in rodent studies.