Nanotechnology suitable match for treatment of eye disease
Collaborations with practicing ophthalmologists have been crucial to nanotechnology discoveries pertaining to eye diseases, and in which drug can be delivered to the eye.
Take-home message: Collaborations with practicing ophthalmologists have been crucial to nanotechnology discoveries pertaining to eye diseases, and in which drug can be delivered to the eye.
Listen as Laura Ensign, PhD, discusses some of the cutting-edge nanomedicine taking place with regard to the eye during the 2014 meeting of Current Concepts in Ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
By Stephanie Skernivitz; Reviewed by Laura Ensign, PhD
Baltimore-
And these are just several eye-related conditions being impacted by the intricacies of the science of manipulating small matter.
Laura Ensign, PhD, of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, presented some of the research in regard to nanomedicine for the eye. Dr. Ensign is affiliated with the Center for Nanomedicine at Johns Hopkins University, directed by Justin Hanes, PhD. Research conducted in the Center for Nanomedicine has led to the launch several companies and generated more than $75 million in grants to date.
Dr. Ensign outlined several relevant and current nanotechnology projects related to the eye under way at the center.
HIF-1 inhibitors
The first project involved AMD. In collaboration with Peter Campochiaro, MD, and Jie Fu, PhD, Wilmer Eye Institute, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the center is using polymerized anthracycline particles loaded with HIF-1 inhibitor for ocular NV.
“Everyone is familiar with the VEGF antibodies typically used for AMD,” Dr. Ensign said. “Here we are using HIF-1 inhibition, which actually leads to down-regulation of many key proangiogenic factors.”
These factors include VEGF, PDGF-BB, and SDF-1.
According to Dr. Ensign, their formulations achieve high loading (up to 23.6%) of the HIF-1 inhibitors. She also noted a significant polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating on the surface of these particles.
“This is important in that it actually attenuates inflammatory responses when injecting particles into the eye,” Dr. Ensign explained. “These particles provide sustained release, which is really the advantage of using nanomedicine for eye indications because we are getting drug release over weeks to even months. So you can get much longer duration of therapy with one treatment.”
As she pointed out, the HIF-1 inhibitor polymer nanoparticles suppress and actually cause regression of NV in the eye.
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