{"id":"CU26026","slug":"microneedle-for-treating--CU26026","source":{"id":"CU26026","dataset":"techtransfer","title":"Microneedle for treating ophthalmic diseases","description_":"<p>This technology is a minimally invasive microneedle that can be used in the treatment of ophthalmic diseases such as glaucoma and retinal vascular occlusions.</p>\r\r<h2>Unmet Need: Targeted therapies for ophthalmic diseases</h2>\r\r<p>Ocular diseases such as glaucoma and retinal vascular occlusions can cause severe, irreversible vision loss, highlighting the need for more effective treatment strategies. Current approaches face challenges in safely accessing delicate ocular structures and delivering therapeutic agents precisely to the site of injury. Minimally invasive delivery technologies are needed to improve targeting, procedural safety, and localized treatment of vision-threatening eye conditions.</p>\r\r<h2>The Technology: Stabilized microneedle for ocular injection</h2>\r\r<p>This technology is a specially designed microneedles that enables precise, localized delivery of therapeutic agents to targeted ocular structures. The needle has a reduced outer diameter and semicircular profiles, enabling injection into smaller retinal vessels and improving stability. A metal protective sheath also allows safe passage through the trocar into the eye. Together, these features enable controlled, localized delivery of therapeutic agents while reducing tissue trauma. </p>\r\r<h2>Applications:</h2>\r\r<ul>\r<li>Precise drug delivery tool for eye diseases</li>\r<li>Microinjection system for the inner ear </li>\r<li>Tool for ophthalmic surgery</li>\r</ul>\r\r<h2>Advantages:</h2>\r\r<ul>\r<li>Minimally invasive access</li>\r<li>Reduced outer needle diameter</li>\r<li>Blade-like shape for precision and insertion control </li>\r<li>Improved vessel stabilization </li>\r</ul>\r\r<h2>Lead Inventor:</h2>\r\r<p><a href=\"https://www.me.columbia.edu/faculty/jeffrey-kysar\">Jeffrey Kysar, PhD</a> </p>\r\r<h2>Patent Information:</h2>\r\r<p>Patent pending</p>\r\r<h2>Related Publications:</h2>\r\r<ul>\r<li><a href=\"https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2816830\">Tezel G, Inam O,  Zhou C, Kysar J,Tezel T. “Microneedle Injections into the Optic Nerve Head for Delivery of Glaucoma Treatments” Invest. Ophthalmol. Vis. Sci. 2026;67(7):4362.</a> </li>\r</ul>\r\r<h2>Tech Ventures Reference:</h2>\r\r<ul>\r<li>IR CU25025</li>\r<li><p>IR CU25026</p></li>\r<li><p>Licensing Contact: <a href=\"mailto:techtransfer@columbia.edu\">Dovina Qu</a> </p></li>\r</ul>\r","tags":["Drug delivery","Eye surgery","Glaucoma","Retina","Visual impairment"],"file_number":"CU26026","collections":[],"meta_description":"A stabilized, ultrafine microneedle enables precise, minimally invasive ocular drug delivery to treat glaucoma and retinal conditions.","apriori_judge_output":"{\"scores\":{\"novelty\":4.0,\"potential_impact\":4.0,\"readiness\":3.0,\"scalability\":3.0,\"timeliness\":4.0},\"weighted_score\":3.75,\"risks\":[\"Early-stage technology with limited clinical validation beyond design/features; regulatory pathway not described; reliance on ongoing patent activity rather than completed clinical data; potential manufacturing/regulatory challenges for intraocular delivery devices.\"],\"one_sentence_take\":\"Strong novelty and potential impact with a plausible 3-year readiness trajectory, but modest scalability and some regulatory/validation risks need mitigation.\"}","inventors":["Chaoqun Zhou","Gulgun Tezel","Jeffrey W. Kysar","Onur Inam","Tongalp Tezel"],"manager":"Dovina Qu","depts":["Mechanical Engineering","Ophthalmology"],"divs":["Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC)","Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS)"],"date_released":"2026-10-23"},"highlight":{},"matched_queries":null,"score":0.0}