Miniature Non-Invasive IOP Measurement Device

青光眼是美国的主要致盲原因，占全球致盲人数的15%。 国家眼科研究所的视力研究计划将确定青光眼的生物学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。开发一种非侵入性的、准确的和可靠的方法来测量啮齿动物的IOP，将极大地促进参与IOP调节的基因的鉴定以及视网膜和视神经对青光眼损伤的易感性。用于测量小鼠IOP的非侵入性技术将能够对单眼进行重复测量，并且对于研究年龄、药物和其他因素随时间对IOP的影响更有用。Luna Innovations与杰克逊实验室的Simon John博士、凯西眼科研究所的John莫里森博士和马约Clinic的Jay McLaren博士一起，正在开发一种具有接触面积反馈的非侵入性眼内压（IOP）测量系统， 啮齿动物在第一阶段计划中，Luna Innovations团队展示了原型设备测量IOP并在大鼠测试中确认压平面积的能力。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.