News – SAIA

Researchers found a way to print 3D corneas that…

May 6, 2019May 10, 2019
by admin

Scientists at Newcastle University in the UK have successfully 3D-printed the first human corneas.

Experimental Eye Research reports the team mixed stem cells from a healthy donor cornea with alginate and collagen to create a “bio-ink”.

Using a simple low-cost 3D bio-printer, the bio-ink was extruded in concentric circles to form the shape of a human cornea — in less than 10 minutes.

The stem cells were then shown to grow. And the team also showed how the corneas could be grown to match a patient’s unique specifications by scanning their eye first to determine the correct size and shape for the printed tissue.

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Color-changing contact lens could enhance monitoring of eye disease…

May 3, 2019May 10, 2019
by admin

Scientists have developed colour-changing contact lenses that can deliver drugs and monitor eye treatments. Researchers from China Pharmaceutical University and Southeast University in China sought to create a drug-delivering contact lens that would change colour as the medication is released into the eye.

According to the study published in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces, the lens could control and indicate the sustained release of many ophthalmic drugs. It is difficult to known how much medication is actually getting to the eye, when eye drops and ointments are administered. This is because the eyes tend to reject foreign elements, and tears start rapidly starts flowing when something goes into the eye. While this process is usually helpful for avoiding infection and damage from foreign objects, it can hinder the uptake of much-needed medications.

Contact lenses may be a more effective way to deliver drugs directly to the eye, but real-time monitoring of drug release is still a challenge. The researchers fabricated a colour-sensitive contact lens using molecular imprinting, a technique that creates molecular cavities in a polymer structure that match the size and shape of a specific compound, such as a medicine. In laboratory experiments, the molecularly imprinted contact lenses were loaded with timolol, a drug used to treat glaucoma. Then, the team exposed the lenses to a solution of artificial tears, which was used as a stand-in for the eye.

As the drug was released from the contacts, the architecture of the molecules near the drug changed, which also changed the colour in the iris area of the lenses. No dye was involved in the process, reducing possible side effects, researchers said. They could see this shift with the naked eye and with a fibre optic spectrometer.

Category: News

Researchers found a way to print 3D corneas that…

Color-changing contact lens could enhance monitoring of eye disease…