TMC PULSE

t m c » p u l s e | a p r i l 2 0 1 5 33 spreads throughout the ocular tissue. Eventually, at the end of a predeter- mined period of time, it will dissolve and disappear." Researchers are now working on increasing the drug release from the nanowafer from once a day to one to two weeks. "The nanowafer contains these small wells," explained Acharya. "So by controlling the depth and diameter of the wells, we can control the amount of drug that we deliver, as well as the release time. Some drugs you take for a week, while others take only a day to be effective, so we can modulate them as required." Using an animal model, the researchers sought to determine whether the wafer technology would deliver medication more consistently to the eye when treating corneal neovascu- larization, which can be blinding. "Dry eye is the major thing that we're targeting with this technology," said Acharya. "Patients with that have to take eye drops regularly, and Steve is an expert in dry eye disease. That's one thing that he told me when we started—this is the best way to address that condition, in both chronic and mild forms." "Most people think of dry eye disease as an annoyance, but it runs the spectrum from causing blindness all the way to being a minor source of aggravation that might simply require periodic eye drops," added Pflugfelder. "There are people that are putting drops in every hour and they're not getting relief and their corneas are still getting scarred. For moderate to severe chronic dry eye cases, this would revolutionize treatment. In terms of the magnitude of the problem, there are tens of millions of people affected by dry eye worldwide—it's a huge market." Acharya and Pflugfelder believe that the nanowafer is not limited in the scope of its potential applications. Anything that has to do with the eye, from ocular injuries to infections, can be attempted. "There are many conditions it could be used for," said Pflugfelder. "From glaucoma, to treatment after an injury, to delivering anti-inflammatory therapy. It could even be used following surgery—if one wafer could be put in your eye after cataract surgery, then that would be all the medication that you need." "Eye injures are a big thing, espe- cially military or combat-related injuries where soldiers sustain repeated trauma to the eye," he added. "Putting in eye drops is usually the last thing on their mind, so if one of their physicians could put this in their eye right away, it might prevent a lot of the problems that develop weeks after the injury." There are other concealed benefits that this new technology might offer— because the nanowafer does not require refrigeration, it would prove useful in treating eye infections and injuries in developing countries. "The nanowafer can actually stabilize the drug," said Acharya. "In some countries like India and parts of Africa, during monsoon season, there are a lot of eye infections. In those parts of the world, where there may not be proper electricity or refrigeration, you can distribute the wafers to people who can use them whenever they want and only have to store them for a limited period of time. It completely avoids the necessity of refrigerating bottles of eye drops. That gets handy, particularly in resource-challenged settings." Leveraging their combined depth of expertise, Acharya and Pflugfelder's partnership has been instrumental in allowing them to think outside the box. "This is a perfect synergy between a clinician scientist and a bioengineer or basic scientist—it's a testament to how we can all come together to develop better devices," said Acharya. "The driv- ing force behind this project has been Steve's constant encouragement and guidance. All of these things will keep on taking us farther." "Currently, almost all eye medica- tion is dispensed in either eye drops or topical gels and ointments," said Pflugfelder. "Right now, there are no other options for a sustained deliv- ery system. I think this [technology] could be huge—it would enhance the effectiveness of the drug, improve compliance, and I think it will mark a major shift in the way that these drugs are induced." For more information, contact Dr. Bernard Robin, brobin@uh.edu. The University of Houston College of Education offers three graduate programs onsite and online in the Texas Medical Center for health science professionals. • Certificate in Integrating Innovative Technologies in Health Science Education • Master's of Education in Curriculum & Instruction with an Emphasis in Health Science Education • Executive Doctorate in Professional Leadership for Health Science Education medical.coe.uh.edu COLLEGE OF EDUCATION Improve Your Skills Teaching Technology Leadership The University of Houston is an EO/AA institution.

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