Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
From a new-to-market allogeneic cell therapy for bullous keratopathy to a comparison of silicone oils for FCVB implants, these are the news stories and studies that caught our attention this week…
Bullous keratopathy treatment. Aurion Biotech announced the commercial availability of Vyznova (neltependocel) in Japan, marking it as the first approved and commercially available allogeneic cell therapy in the world for bullous keratopathy. Link
Ocular surface diagnosis. Specialist ophthalmic equipment manufacturer, Lumibird Medical, has released the OMNICAD, an imaging platform that uses integrated AI algorithms to diagnose ocular surface diseases. Link
Silicone comparisons. A study by scientists at The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, China, compared the efficacy of foldable capsular vitreous body (FCVB) implants filled with light or heavy silicone oil in patients with silicone oil-dependent eyes. Though their findings suggest that both light and heavy silicone implants improve intraocular pressure and no significant differences in visual acuity were observed between the two options, heavy silicone oil did offer more support for the retina, especially for patients unable to maintain a prone post-surgery position. Link
Modeling ocular drug delivery. An IOVS study reviewed mathematical models of ocular drug delivery, focusing on how they simulate drug pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) in the eye. Researchers from the School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, investigated how the models helped predict drug behavior and assist in drug development, as well as how artificial intelligence (AI) might be used to refine these predictions in the future. Link
IRD gene findings. In collaboration with UK and US-based institutions (including Moorfields Eye Hospital and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology, and Baylor College of Medicine and the Greenwood Genetic Center), researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have identified a gene – UBAP1L – that can be linked to a number of inherited retinal diseases (IRDs). Their findings add to the existing list of 280 genes responsible for retinal dystrophies. Link
CSC risk factors. Researchers from the Department of Ophthalmology, Shijiazhuang People’s Hospital, China, have revealed several risk factors that can play a key role in development of central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC). Their study, published in Journal of Ophthalmology, indicates that gender, alcohol consumption, renal disease, hypothyroidism, smoking history, steroid use, and shift work can all contribute to exacerbation of the disease. Link
