Jan 20, 2021 11:30:00

Blind patients regain vision with transplantation of 'artificial cornea' that does not require a donor

Israeli startup

CorNeat announced on January 11, 2021 that it has successfully performed donor-free artificial corneal graft surgery. The man who underwent surgery reported that he had lost his eyesight for many years due to a corneal injury caused by a disease that developed 10 years ago, but after the operation he visually recognized his family and recovered his eyesight by the time he could read the letters. Has been done.

CorNeat Vision's First Patient Regains Sight Following Artificial Cornea Implantation at Rabin Medical Center, Ending a Decade of Blindness
https://www.prnewswire.com/il/news-releases/corneat-vision-s-first-patient-regains-sight-following-artificial-cornea-implantation-at-rabin-medical-center-ending-a- decade-of-blindness-866070880.html

Artificial cornea restores patient's vision | Ophthalmology Times
https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/artificial-cornea-restores-patient-s-vision

Synthetic cornea helped a legally blind man regain his sight | Engadget
https://www.engadget.com/synthetic-cornea-helps-a-legally-blind-man-regain-his-sight-101057500.html

Blind man regains sight after receiving first artificial cornea implant by Israel's CorNeat Vision | KrASIA
https://kr-asia.com/blind-man-regains-sight-after-receiving-first-artificial-cornea-implant-by-israels-corneat-vision

Jamal Fulani, a 78-year-old man living in Israel, was diagnosed 10 years ago with multiple illnesses, including corneal edema, that impaired his eyesight and eventually led to blindness. Therefore, Mr. Fulani was to undergo a transplant operation for the artificial cornea 'KPro' developed by Israeli medical device maker CorNeat.

The transplant surgery for Mr. Furani was performed on January 11th at the Rabin Medical Center in Israel. The operation required only one hour, and the operation was successful. After the surgery, Mr. Fulani was able to read the letters written on the board for the vision test and was able to see the family witnessed with his own eyes.

'The surgery was easy and the results completely exceeded our expectations,' said Eirit Bahar, an ophthalmologist at the Rabin Medical Center, who was in charge of the surgery. The moment you remove the bandage is a very emotional moment. It was my desire as a doctor to be able to witness such a situation. I am working on this exciting and meaningful project that will affect the lives of millions of people who are looking forward to a corneal transplant. I am proud to be at the forefront. '

From left to right, Mr. Guillard Litobin, co-founder and chief medical officer of Mr. Bahar, Mr. Fulani, Mr. Fulani's daughter, CorNeat.

'It was touching and dreamy to see the CorNeat KPro, the result of years of hard work, being successfully transplanted and regaining light,' Litobin said in a statement. When the bandages were removed, the room was filled with tears. This is the starting point for the goal of helping people around the world regain their eyesight and an important milestone for CorNeat. ' I told you.

This is not the first

surgery to replace the cornea with an artificial one, but it is often used as a last resort in the event of a failed donor-provided corneal transplant due to the complexity of the surgery.

Unlike these traditional artificial corneas, KPro uses a non-degradable suture for transplantation, which is characterized by minimal eye incision and easy surgery. In addition, KPro is composed of biomimetic material , stimulates cell proliferation at the transplanted site and completely fuses with body tissue within a few weeks after surgery, so postoperative recovery is extremely fast. ..

According to CorNeat, KPro has already been approved for trial transplantation in 10 patients. This first trial will target people who have been diagnosed as unsuitable for corneal transplants from donors or who have failed transplant surgery, but will cover a wider range of people in the second half of 2021. It seems that a phase test is planned.