A team of scientists and clinicians from the University of Pittsburgh have developed a novel form of eyedrops for the treatment of dry eye disease (DED). Harnessing the understanding of the underlying inflammatory pathways in DED, the team use cytokine IL-4 to tackle the underlying cause of the disease.
Description
DED is one of the leading ocular morbidities, impacting as many as one third of the global population. Severe DED can lead to vision loss. Symptoms which include itchiness, blurred vision, difficulty in completing tasks requiring visual effort, and ongoing pain, all have an impact on a patient's quality of life. These novel IL-4 eye drops could help to address a previously unmet clinical need through treating patients with DED and potentially saving millions of dollars in healthcare costs.
Applications
1. DED
2. Other inflammatory eye diseases
Advantages
Current therapeutic options for DED either treat the symptoms using over the counter (OTC) options like eye drops to stabilize the tear film, or medication which targets the adaptive immune system. While OTC options may provide symptom relief, they do not tackle the cause of DED. Prescription medication may address some of the underlying inflammation pathways but are often associated with side effects including irritation and blurry vision. The side effects may then require the use of eye drops resulting in non-compliance.
These novel drops use a single cytokine to target tear film instability and address inflammation in the eye, improving outcomes for patients. The use of drops alone should also improve patient treatment non-compliance.
Invention Readiness
A small-scale pilot study in animals has shown drops containing IL-4 favorably modulate the innate and adaptive immune systems and restore the mucin-producing goblet cell numbers and function in healthy eyes in a two-pronged approach. IL-4 modulates the inflammation in the ocular tissue and leads to elevated levels of T cells on the ocular surface in patients with DED, producing additional IL-4 levels, which help restore the homeostatic environment in the eye, maintaining a stable tear film.
Tackling both inflammation and goblet cell dysfunction concurrently is a novel approach to treating DED.
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/WO2023230163A1
