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Nanoparticles used to stem inflammation of retinal
diseases.
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| Article Type: | Brief article |
| Subject: |
Retinal diseases
(Care and treatment) Nanoparticles (Usage) |
| Pub Date: | 04/01/2012 |
| Publication: | Name: Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness Publisher: American Foundation for the Blind Audience: Academic Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Health Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 American Foundation for the Blind ISSN: 0145-482X |
| Issue: | Date: April, 2012 Source Volume: 106 Source Issue: 4 |
| Geographic: | Geographic Scope: United States Geographic Code: 1USA United States |
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| Accession Number: | 287867030 |
| Full Text: |
Researchers at Wayne State University, Mayo Clinic, and Johns
Hopkins recently devised a potential treatment for macular degeneration
and retinitis pigmentosa by using nanoparticles (called dendrimers) to
deliver steroids to the retina. A collaborative research study
demonstrated that steroids attached to dendrimers targeted the cells
associated with neuroinflammation leaving the rest of the eye unaffected
and preserving vision. (Neuroinflammation is an inflammatory response in
the nervous system that causes the damage to the retina associated with
dry age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.) The principal investigators, Raymond Iezzi, an ophthalmologist at the Mayo Clinic, and Rangaramanujam Kannan, in the faculty of ophthalmology at the Wilmer Eye Institute of Johns Hopkins, developed the targeted, sustained-release drug delivery system using a simple nanodevice construct. The experimental work in rat models was conducted at Wayne State University, and showed that one intravitreal administration of the nanodevice in microgram quantities could offer neuroprotection at least for a month. Although the steroid offers only temporary protection, the treatment as a whole provided sustained relief from neuroinflammation. The researchers believe that this patent-pending technology will be advanced further, through this multi-university collaboration. "There is no cure for these diseases," said Dr. Iezzi. "An effective treatment could offer hope to hundreds of millions of patients worldwide." For more information, contact: Department of Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905; web site: |
| Gale Copyright: | Copyright 2012 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved. |