Tag Archives: cataracts

Implanting a synthetic cornea in your eye

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For anyone who needs a refresher, Simon Shapiro in a Nov. 5, 2017 posting on the Sci/Why blog offers a good introduction to how eyes work and further in his post describes Corneat Vision’s corneal implants,

A quick summary of how our eyes work: they refract (bend) light and focus it on the retina. The job of doing the refraction is split between the cornea and the lens. Two thirds of the refraction is done by the cornea, so it’s critical in enabling vision. After light passes through the cornea, it passes through the pupil (in the centre of the iris) to reach the lens. Muscles in the eye (the ciliary muscle) can change the shape of the lens and allow the eye to focus nearer or further. The lens focuses light on the retina, which passes signals to the brain via the optic nerve.

It’s all pretty neat, but some things can go wrong, especially as you get older. Common problems are that the lens and/or the cornea can become cloudy.

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CoreNeat Vision, the Israeli ophthalmic devices startup company, released an Oct. 6, 2017 press release about their corneal implant on BusinessWire (Note: Links have been removed),

The CorNeat KPro implant is a patent-pending synthetic cornea that utilizes advanced cell technology to integrate artificial optics within resident ocular tissue. The CorNeat KPro is produced using nanoscale chemical engineering that stimulates cellular growth. Unlike previous devices, which attempted to integrate optics into the native cornea, the CorNeat KPro leverages a virtual space under the conjunctiva that is rich with fibroblast cells that heals quickly and provides robust long-term integration. Combined with a novel and simple 30-minute surgical procedure, the CorNeat KPro provides an esthetic, efficient, scalable remedy for millions of people with cornea-related visual impairments and is far superior to any available biological and synthetic alternatives.

A short animated movie that demonstrates the implantation and integration of the CorNeat KPro device to the human eye is available in the following link: www.corneat.com/product-animation.

“Corneal pathology is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide with 20-30 million patients in need of a remedy and around 2 million new cases/year, said CorNeat Vision CEO and VP R&D, Mr. Almog Aley-Raz. “Though a profound cause of distress and disability, existing solutions, such as corneal transplantation, are carried out only about 200,000 times/year worldwide. Together, corneal transplantation, and to a much lesser extent artificial implants (KPros), address only 5%-10% of cases, “There exists an urgent need for an efficient, long-lasting and affordable solution to corneal pathology, injury and blindness, which would alleviate the suffering and disability of millions of people. We are very excited to reach this important milestone in the development of our solution and are confident that the CorNeat KPro will enable millions to regain their sight”, he added.

“The groundbreaking results obtained in our proof of concept which is backed by conclusive histopathological evidence, are extremely encouraging. We are entering the next phase with great confidence that CorNeat KPro will address corneal blindness just like IOLs (Intra Ocular Lens) addressed cataract”, commented Dr. Gilad Litvin, CorNeat Vision’s Chief Medical Officer and founder and the CorNeat KPro inventor. “Our novel IP, now cleared by the European Patent Office, ensures long-term retention, robust integration into the eye and an operation that is significantly shorter and simpler than Keratoplasty (Corneal transplantation).

“The innovative approach behind CorNeat KPro coupled by the team’s execution ability present a unique opportunity to finally address the global corneal blindness challenge”, added Prof. Ehud Assia., head of the ophthalmic department at the Meir Hospital in Israel, a serial ophthalmic innovator, and a member of CorNeat Vision scientific advisory board. “I welcome our new advisory board members, Prof. David Rootman, a true pioneer in ophthalmic surgery and one of the top corneal specialist surgeons from the University of Toronto, Canada, and Prof. Eric Gabison., who’s a leading cornea surgeon at the Rothschild Ophthalmic Foundation research center at Bichat hospital – Paris, France. We are all looking forward to initiating the clinical trial later in 2018.”

About CorNeat Vision

CorNeat Vision is an ophthalmic medical device company with an overarching mission to promote human health, sustainability and equality worldwide. The objective of CorNeat Vision is to produce, test and market an innovative, safe and long-lasting scalable medical solution for corneal blindness, pathology and injury, a bio-artificial organ: The CorNeat KPro. For more information on CorNeat Vision and the CorNeat KPro device, visit us at www.corneat.com.

Unfortunately, I cannot find any more detail. Presumably the company principals are making sure that no competitive advantages are given away.

Canada’s Ingenuity Lab looks for the causes of cataract formation and preventive treatment

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The Ingenuity Lab (based in Alberta) is pursuing three queries in its Health portfolio,

WHAT IF we could develop a way to replace lost neurological functions?
WHAT IF we can improve the delivery of oral vaccinations to maximize the efficiency of absorption?
WHAT IF we can treat cataracts without surgery?

Here’s how they describe the situation regarding sight and cataracts, from the WHAT IF we can treat cataracts without surgery? webpage,

Cataracts is an aggregation of lens proteins that lead to a decrease in vision. [emphasis mine] It is one of the biggest challenges in ophthalmic research due to accessibility to the lens and highly structured proteins in the lens that make it difficult to treat.

It is estimated that 88 per cent of people older than 75 years will have some form of this condition which is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. Currently, there are more than 2.5 million Canadians who are affected by cataracts and that number is expected to double by 2031.

While cataract surgery remains an effective option for many, Ingenuity researchers have their sights set on a new model of cataract treatment that does not rely on surgical intervention, by engineering molecules that would have capabilities to detect, inhibit and restore the affected proteins in the lens. The technology would also prevent further formation of the aggregate proteins that decrease vision.

This potential technology is particularly exciting for developing nations where surgical access is often limited and holds great promise for ageing populations around the world.

I’d never previously noticed ‘cataracts’ used with the singular version of a verb. It seems this is a matter for some debate as per this 2007 discussion Wordreference.com resulting in a ‘ymmv’ (your mileage may vary) situation with an edge given to the use of the plural version of the verb. Personally, I prefer the plural with ‘cataracts’.

Getting back to Ingenuity Lab and its ‘cataracts’ query, there’s a July 4, 2014 Nanowerk Spotlight article written by someone from Ingenuity Lab describing their latest developments,

At Ingenuity Lab in Edmonton, a multidisciplinary team of researchers with partners in Alberta, U.S.A. and Nepal, are busy trying to understand the fundamental mechanisms of how the aggregates that cause cataracts form, and how nanotechnology may be used to prevent or at least inhibit them.

Researchers are taking lessons learned from earlier discoveries and have honed in on target specific peptide screening techniques in the hopes that they will provide a much-needed solution for communities around the world. The work aims to harness the specific binding abilities of peptides for recognition of crystallin protein aggregates7, as well as the unique peptide characteristics that influence stabilization of protein/aggregate and activity depending on the binding region8.

This research is encouraging because it recognizes the potential of crystallin specific peptides not only as drug delivery mediators but also as aggregation inhibitory molecules. Using combinatorial biology approaches, the team has is working to select peptides in both recombinant and ex vivo systems. Once the specific peptides are chosen, their effect on the aggregation process is will be carefully followed by in-situ time sequenced atomic force microscopy visualizations. These peptides will then be screened for particular inhibitory properties, considered as a potential therapeutical agent and evaluated on lens tissue and animal models at the state-of-the art lab in Alberta.

An added benefit to identifying peptides that bind to crystallin aggregates, is that their application extends beyond the treatment of cataract. While the hope and goal is that the peptides themselves will serve as a biologically based, mild, non-invasive treatment, these molecules could also serve to selectively target affected areas of the lens for delivery of other therapies.

The Nanowerk Spotlight article includes more information about the condition. about eyes, references, and an image illustrating the effects of peptides.