Jun 21, 2022 12:30:00

A microneedle will be developed that can inject a drug and block the injection scar, allowing only one injection into the eyeball.

In the treatment of eye diseases, there are cases where an injection into the jelly-like

vitreous (IVI) inside the eyeball is required. However, there is a risk that bacteria may enter from the scars of IVI and cause an infection, or that repeated IVI may damage the cells of the eyeball. To solve this problem, a self-plugging microneedle (SPM) has been developed that allows only one injection to inject the drug into the eyeball.

Self-Plugging Microneedle (SPM) for Intravitreal Drug Delivery --Lee ---- Advanced Healthcare Materials --Wiley Online Library
https://doi.org/10.1002/adhm.202102599

Scientists Created a'Self-Plugging' Eye Microneedle, And It's as Creepy as It Sounds
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-have-created-a-self-plugging-microneedle-that-is-inserted-into-the-eye-and-it-s-as-creepy-as-it- sounds

Members of Chonnam National University, Yonsei University, Seoul National University Medical University, Seoul National University Hospital, and Terrasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation said that the best scenario for IVI is 'with the eye system closed and no needle pullback1. I thought it was a 'drug injection'.

Therefore, we focused on 'microneedle', which has been used for eye tissue for more than 10 years and has no reports of serious side effects. We have developed 'SPM' that can be blocked at the same time.

IVI is used to treat age-related macular degeneration and diabetic eye disease, and the current method is to inject multiple anti- VEGF drugs . However, with SPM, you only need to inject once and you don't have to pull out the needle. SPM injected into the eyeball closes the scleral hole created at the time of injection with hydrogel . On the other hand, the drug is gradually released inside. Since the needle is biodegradable, it will eventually be decomposed without any discomfort.

The research team conducted an experiment with excised pig eyes and confirmed that the hole was closed and the drug spread to the entire eye. In addition, we conducted experiments on live pigs and confirmed that the SPM was fixed without any problems, with no inflammation in the eyeballs even after 7 days.

In the future, research on animals to ensure safety will be required for a longer period of time, and it seems that it will be a long time before it can be used by humans.