For the millions of sufferers of dry eye syndrome, their only recourse to easing the painful condition is to use drug-laced eye drops three times a day. Now, researchers from the University of Waterloo have developed a topical solution containing nanoparticles that will combat dry eye syndrome with only one application a week.
The eye drops progressively deliver the right amount of drug-infused nanoparticles to the surface of the eyeball over a period of five days before the body absorbs them. One weekly dose replaces 15 or more to treat the pain and irritation of dry eyes.
The nanoparticles, about 1/1000th the width of a human hair, stick harmlessly to the eye’s surface and use only five per cent of the drug normally required.
“You can’t tell the difference between these nanoparticle eye drops and water,” said Shengyan (Sandy) Liu, a PhD candidate at Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering, who led the team of researchers from the Department of Chemical Engineering and the Centre for Contact Lens Research. “There’s no irritation to the eye.”
Dry eye syndrome is a more common ailment for people over the age of 50 and may eventually lead to eye damage. More than six per cent of people in the U.S. have it. Currently, patients must frequently apply the medicine three times a day because of the eye’s ability to self-cleanse—a process that washes away 95 per cent of the drug.
“I knew that if we focused on infusing biocompatible nanoparticles with Cyclosporine A, the drug in the eye drops, and make them stick to the eyeball without irritation for longer periods of time, it would also save patients time and reduce the possibility of toxic exposure due to excessive use of eye drops,” said Liu.
The research team is now focusing on preparing the nanoparticle eye drops for clinical trials with the hope that this nanoparticle therapy could reach the shelves of drugstores within five years.
For the millions of sufferers of dry eye syndrome, their only recourse to easing the painful condition is to use drug-laced eye drops three times a day. Now, researchers from the University of Waterloo have developed a topical solution containing nanoparticles that will combat dry eye syndrome with only one application a week.
The eye drops progressively deliver the right amount of drug-infused nanoparticles to the surface of the eyeball over a period of five days before the body absorbs them. One weekly dose replaces 15 or more to treat the pain and irritation of dry eyes.
The Latest on: Drug-infused nanoparticle
[google_news title=”” keyword=”Drug-infused nanoparticle” num_posts=”10″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
via Google News
The Latest on: Drug-infused nanoparticle
- Nanotubes, nanoparticles, and antibodies detect tiny amounts of fentanylon May 9, 2024 at 10:32 am
A research team has developed a fentanyl sensor that is six orders of magnitude more sensitive than any electrochemical sensor for the drug reported in the past five years. The portable sensor can ...
- Nanoparticle researchers develop microfluidic platform for better delivery of gene therapy for lung diseaseon May 7, 2024 at 7:14 am
Drug delivery researchers at Oregon State University have developed a device with the potential to improve gene therapy for patients with inherited lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis.
- Nanotechnology in Therapeuticson May 6, 2024 at 4:59 pm
Ubiquitously targeting cells within a tumor is not always feasible because some drugs cannot diffuse efficiently, and the random nature of the approach makes it difficult to control the process.
- Nanoparticle Breaks through Blood-Brain Barrier to Target Brain Metastaseson May 6, 2024 at 4:01 pm
Nanoparticle that penetrates the blood-brain barrier can shrink breast and brain tumors in laboratory studies.
- Researchers develop a nanoparticle that can penetrate the blood-brain barrieron May 6, 2024 at 12:00 pm
Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have developed a nanoparticle that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Their goal is to ...
- Sylvester researchers develop a nanoparticle that can penetrate the blood-brain barrieron May 5, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a nanoparticle that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Their goal is to kill primary breast cancer tumors and brain metastases ...
- Nanotechnology in Therapeuticson May 2, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Liposomes have attractive biological properties, including general biocompatibility, biodegradability, isolation of drugs from the surrounding environment and the ability to entrap both ...
- Custom Nanoparticles That Can Transport Drugs to the Hearton April 17, 2024 at 5:00 pm
Jianjun Guan and his team plan to enclose a set of proteins designed to curb inflammation and a peptide to prevent fibrosis inside cleverly disguised drug-delivering smart nanoparticles that would be ...
- Polymeric Nanoparticles: Versatile Carriers for Drug Delivery and Beyondon April 10, 2024 at 9:19 am
These nanoparticles have gained significant attention due to their versatility, biocompatibility, and ability to encapsulate and deliver various active ingredients, such as drugs, proteins, and ...
- Florida ‘Candy Lady’ Sold Kids Drug-Infused Treats in ‘Every Parent’s Worst Nightmare’: Investigatorson December 15, 2023 at 6:25 pm
A Florida woman is accused of peddling drug-infused treats packaged like candy to kids in her neighborhood and even handled fentanyl while holding her infant, according to investigators.
via Bing News