Wearable Patch Delivers Drugs Directly to Eye.
The microneedles on the eye patch can be loaded with drugs. Worn like contact lenses the patch is painless and minimally invasive. The drug is released slowly as the biodegradable microneedles dissolve in the corneal tissue.
Current localized treatment methods such as eye drops and ointments are hindered by the eye’s natural defenses, blinking and tears. Eye injections can be painful and carry a risk of infection and eye damage. As a result some patients are unable to keep up with the prescribed regime for their eye ailments, many of which require long-term management.
The proof-of-concept patch successfully tested in mice is covered with biodegradable microneedles that deliver drugs into the eye in a controlled release. After pressing it onto the eye surface briefly and gently — much like putting on contact lenses — the drug-containing microneedles detach by themselves and stay in the cornea releasing the drug over time as they dissolve.
When tested on mice with corneal vascularization, a single application of the patch was 90 percent more effective in alleviating the condition than applying a single eye drop with 10 times more drug content.
X the biotechnology expert who also developed the fat-burning microneedle patch saysthis approach could realize the unmet medical need for a localized, long-lasting and efficient eye drug delivery with good patient compliance.
X says “The microneedles are made of a substance found naturally in the body and we have shown in lab tests on mice that they are painless and minimally invasive. If we successfully replicate the same results in human trials the patch could become a good option for eye diseases that require long-term management at home such as glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
“Patients who find it hard to keep up with the regime of repeatedly applying eye drops and ointments would also find the patch useful as well as it has the potential to achieve the same therapeutic effect with a smaller and less frequent dosage”.