Project: ICG-mediated photoporation of the inner limiting membrane to enhance retinal drug delivery after intravitreal injection.

2020-01-01 – 2020-12-31

Abstract

Intravitreal injection, injection in the transparent gel of the eyeball, is a commonly applied method in the clinic for delivery of drugs (e.g. antibodies) to the retina. However, larger drugs like gene carriers more than often do no reach the retina. This is very unfortunate since many blinding diseases do require delivery to this target site. It has been shown that the inner limiting membrane (ILM), a thin membrane between the vitreous gel and the retina, is the primary barrier hindering delivery of drugs to the retina via intravitreal injection. To overcome this barrier we propose to create entryways for the drug carriers to enter the retina by perforation of the ILM. Therefore, we will inject a clinically approved dye that binds strongly to the ILM. When this dye has accumulated at the ILM we will irradiate it with an extremely short laser pulse. This laser energy heats up the dye, forming tiny vapour bubbles that upon collapse damage their surroundings – in our case, the ILM. In this project, we aim to provide proof-of-concept of this innovative approach by testing the approach on cell cultures and retinal tissue derived from cow eyes.