This technology utilizes nitrogen oxide-containing compounds as a non-invasive method to treat bilateral degeneration in the cornea caused by advanced keratoconus.
Current methods to treat corneal scarring and vision impairment caused by advanced keratoconus rely on invasive surgical procedures. Many of these procedures involve photochemical collagen crosslinking in the cornea by scraping away epithelial cells and treating the tissue with riboflavin and UV light. Though the crosslinking of collagen has been shown to improve the condition of patients, these invasive procedures require UV light irradiation, can be painful, and carry an increased risk of infection.
This technology uses topical solutions containing nitroalcohols for stabilizing corneal tissue. Non-enzymatic crosslinking of collagenous tissues by these nitrogen oxide-containing agents stiffens the cornea, making it more resistant to bending, thinning, and other structural deformations. These compounds penetrate the corneal stroma and induce crosslinking without the need for removal of the epithelium, UV irradiation, or other potentially harmful procedures. This technology can be used to delay or prevent the progression of keratoconus and related corneoscleral degenerative disorders in a non-invasive, patient-accessible format, such as eye drops.
This technology has been validated on porcine cornea samples in vitro.
IR 2206
Licensing Contact: Sara Gusik
