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Cover Story
R E SE AR CH
/ Cornea surgeon-scientist, Dr. Marie-Claude Robert, left, with trainees doing bursting pressure measurements
to ensure liquid cornea formulations patching perforations will be able to seal tissues reliably. /
/ Dr. May Griffith, left, and postdoctoral fellow, Kamal Malhotra using Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) to evaluate thermal stability of biomaterials. /
“This is good news for the many patients rejection associated with xenogeneic
who cannot undergo this operation due materials.”
to a severe worldwide shortage of donor
corneas,” said Dr. Griffith. “Until now, As well, in situ gelation potentially allows
patients on the waiting list have had for clinical application in outpatient clinics
their perforated corneas sealed with a instead of operating theaters, maximizing
medical-grade super glue, but this is only practicality and minimizing healthcare
a short-term solution because it is often costs.
poorly tolerated in the eye, making
transplantation necessary.” Dr. Griffith hopes that eventually, the
treatment can be done on an out-patient
In North America, a corneal transplant basis.
is most often required because of corneal
thinning due to old age; other causes “Researchers are working with surgeons
in the U.S. and Montreal to determine
include infection and scarring from
“ This is good news for keratoconus. In the developing world, whether it could be made available in
parts of the world, such as refugee camps,
they are often necessitated by industrial
where there are no eye banks. We want it
accidents, chemical burns and mechanical
the many patients who
to be stable enough and easy enough to
cannot undergo this injuries. use that a healthcare professional (not an
Transplantation with donor corneas is the ophthalmologist) at a camp can apply it.”
operation due to a standard for treating corneal blindness, but
severe worldwide a severe worldwide shortage has left 12.7 Like many research projects world-wide,
million people on waiting lists, with only the work on LiQD Cornea has been
shortage of donor 1 in 70 patients receiving surgery. delayed by the pandemic.
“ pandemic but it has worsened as medical species but have to redo them at a
corneas The shortage pre-dated the COVID-19 “We have proof of concept in three animal
resources were diverted to helping patients
third-party lab to get Health Canada
affected by the virus.
approval. And it will take a lot to get this
A synthetic, biocompatible and adhesive into clinical trials because there so many
liquid hydrogel, LiQD Cornea is applied pieces involved. One big question is, who
in liquid form, but quickly adheres and will fund it?”
/ Post-doctoral fellow, Bijay Poudel, Kamal Malhotra and Elle Edin doing a cursory look at a
transparent hydrogel sample. / gels within the corneal tissue. It promotes
tissue regeneration, thus treating corneal Fortunately, private companies, as well
perforations without the need for as hospitals, universities and U.S. and
transplantation. Canadian grant programs are all involved.
“Gelation occurs spontaneously at body Dr. Griffith says it will take at least two to
temperature within five minutes,” says Dr. three years for LiQD Cornea to become
Griffith. “Light exposure is not required, available because of the ongoing pandemic.
which is advantageous because patients “It will take several years for clinical trials
with corneal inflammation are typically to take place. We have to do a feasibility
photophobic. The self-assembling, fully study and then a pivotal study and then it
defined, synthetic collagen analog is much goes to market. We are currently talking
less costly than human recombinant to partners who might be interested in
collagen and reduces the risk of immune commercialization.” n
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