海角社区

 

海角社区 has developed a new way to treat and prevent serious eye infections, a tiny silicone implant that slowly releases antiviral medicine over time.

鈥淓ye infections caused by herpes viruses are a persistent problem for people and animals. Without treatment, the infections can cause permanent damage or even blindness,鈥� said Dr. Andrew Lewin, a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist and former 海角社区 Veterinary School of Medicine faculty member.

The treatment for these infections is either an oral medication or eye drops. Pet owners and patients with this kind of eye infection have to put drops in three to six times a day.

 鈥淎s you can imagine, cats can be really challenging to treat with eye drops or pills. You might be able to disguise the pills by hiding them in food, but there鈥檚 no perfect way to trick a cat into thinking the eye drops are a treat,鈥� Lewin said. 鈥淪o, a lot of times the medication isn鈥檛 delivered effectively.鈥�

 People may also struggle with treating their eye infections but that usually means forgetting to take their medication or apply it according to their doctor鈥檚 instructions.

Lewin鈥檚 implant, created while he was at 海角社区 Vet Med, dispenses with those issues. The device is placed under the conjunctiva 鈥� the thin, clear layer of tissue that covers the white part of the eye 鈥� in a minor outpatient procedure. Once installed, the implant releases a very small amount of antiviral medication over a long period of time, eight weeks or more.

The prototype measures approximately 4mm wide by 17mm long (.16 inches by .67 inches), but Lewin expects to make the device smaller with further development.

In addition, the implant can help prevent the viruses from reactivating or causing recurrent problems.

鈥淭he thing with these viruses is that they never completely go away. People and animals never clear these infections from their bodies,鈥� Lewin said. 鈥淪tress or another illness can reactivate them.鈥�

According to the Cleveland Clinic, around 500,000 U.S. residents have ocular herpes. An estimated 80 percent of cats become lifelong carriers of feline herpes virus, with a subset of them having persistent eye infections.

Lewin said people can currently take daily medications to prevent eye viruses from resurfacing.

Lab tests showed the implant released the antiviral for two months or longer, Lewin said. No comparable drug delivery device specifically for ocular viral surface diseases in humans or animals is known to exist.

鈥淚 am proud of our vibrant ecosystem for discovery and innovation at 海角社区 Vet Med. Our research spans the gamut from fundamental to clinical and translational, focusing on the advancement of animal and human health in the spirit of One Health 鈥� our North star,鈥� said Oliver Garden, BVetMed, PhD, dean and Kenneth Burns Endowed Chair in Veterinary Medicine. 鈥淥ur talented students, staff, and faculty consistently impress me with the depth and breadth of their world-class research. We are a powerhouse of scholarship; we build teams that win for Louisiana and the world!鈥�

Lewin worked with 海角社区鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization (ITC) to protect his discovery.

鈥淭he implant has an exciting opportunity to help both people and animals. We're excited to find commercial partners to bring these innovative solutions to market,鈥� said Grace Myers, ITC commercialization officer.

About 海角社区鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization

海角社区鈥檚 Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization (ITC) protects and commercializes 海角社区鈥檚 intellectual property. The office focuses on transferring early-stage inventions and works into the marketplace for the greater benefit of society. ITC also handles federal invention reporting, which allows 海角社区 to receive hundreds of millions of dollars each year in federally funded research, and processes confidentiality agreements, material transfer agreements and other agreements related to intellectual property.

For licensing inquiries, contact techlicensing@lsu.edu