Optimization and Evaluation of Photo-Responsive Microneedle Arrays for Sustained Ocular Drug Delivery
Abstract
Eye disorders and vision loss are costing America over $140 billion every year. As of 2014, 1.3 million Americans are blind, and that number is estimated to rise to 2.2 million Americans in 2030. The leading cause of blindness in the working-age population is diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss among people aged 50 and older. In the U.S., the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration is 7.7 and 2.1 million, respectively. The numbers are continuously growing due to the aging society and growing diabetic populations. Treatment of a variety of eye diseases requires a localized drug delivery to the eye, which is challenging due to several barriers, such as tear dilution and fluid circulation in the eye. Eye drops and oral drugs are not very effective because only a small portion of the drug can eventually reach the retina of the eye. Direct injections are usually required to achieve the desired drug concentration in the eye. However, direction injections are very invasive and put patients at risk of a number of side effects. Moreover, repeated injections (e.g., monthly) are often required. It is very inconvenient for patients who have eye diseases to travel to the eye clinic frequently. The frequent visits also cost the health care system, including the Veterans Health Administration significantly. A less invasive, long-lasting, and cost-saving drug delivery device is desired. In the previously funded project, we demonstrated the feasibility of a self-adhesive microneedle array that steadily releases the drug over a 4-week period. The goals of this project are (1) to improve the performance of the microneedle by extending the period of drug release up to 24 weeks and further easing the microneedle removal process, and (2) to evaluate the safety and treatment efficacy of the microneedle in support of launching clinical trials. This project is strongly related to two of the Fiscal Year 2022 Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program Topic Areas: Sustained Release Drug Delivery and Diabetes within the Portfolio Category - Nutrition and Metabolism. We will focus on addressing the Strategic Goal of Treatment: Develop and test strategies to decrease the burden of treatment regimens. This project will improve the treatment of age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. If successful, we can reduce the frequency of treatment as well as the burden on patients, their families, and the health care system, reduce the cost of drugs with a more efficient way of delivery, achieving the same therapeutic effect with less amount of drug, and achieve a better patient outcome. The immediate patient population, including diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration, that could be impacted by the proposed device is about 10 million people in the U.S., which require 120 million intravitreal injections annually. This project will also advance controlled and sustained drug release using microneedle, which sees many applications for drug delivery to wet surfaces in human body due to its self-adhesive nature, such as oral and nasal cavities or ligament.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 04, 2024
- Source ID
- HT94252310179
Entities
People
- Kuen-ren Chen
Organizations
- United States Army
- Washington State University