Innovative biomaterials and methods targeting corneal blindness

The cornea is the eye´s outermost transparent window, and maintenance of its transparency and shape are essential for vision.

Degenerative, age-related and uncorrected refractive changes in the cornea collectively represent the main cause of vision impairment globally.

With a global epidemic of myopia and millions of cases of avoidable blindness unaddressed because of shortage of donor tissue and inaccessibility to refractive surgery in many parts of the world, the burden of vision impairment will increase in the coming years, in conflict with global sustainability goals.

In this project, we directly address the severe deficit of available vision-restoring therapies by proposing a new paradigm for restoring the cornea´s transparency and shape in cases of disease or degenerative changes.

We propose the use of a novel, sustainable biomaterial to augment the existing corneal tissue, using a minimally invasive additive surgical method or direct injection into the cornea, to bypass dysfunctional tissue and reconstruct degenerated tissue, restoring the cornea´s natural shape and transparency.

The proposed methods are less invasive than today´s surgeries, preserve the patient´s own tissue, and do not rely on donated tissue, of which there is a severe shortage.

In this project we will evaluate the proposed novel materials and techniques in two key preclinical studies that will provide the basis for future clinical studies in patient populations with prevalent corneal disease.