Traumatic eye injuries are experienced by over 2.4 million people in the United States annually, and are second only to cataracts in causing visual impairment, usually due to the formation of scar tissue in the eye. In addition, the 600,000 Americans who undergo refractive eye surgery such as LASIK or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) each year assume the risk of corneal haze, severe dry eye, over- or under-correction of vision, and keratitis, all of which could be avoided by proper, scar-free wound healing. Ethyl pyruvate offers a simple, topical solution to prevent scar formation and promote healing in the eye.
Description
An injury to the cornea of the eye results in the activation of keratocytes, which are responsible for forming translucent scar tissue that can disturb vision. Ethyl pyruvate and other molecules in its class inhibit this fibrotic response to promote proper healing. Current drugs targeting this mechanism, such as mitomycin-C, are harsh and can cause permanent tissue damage. Ethyl pyruvate is safe and has already undergone clinical trials for other applications. To test the effectiveness of ethyl pyruvate in the context of eye wounds, researchers induced corneal haze by injecting an inflammatory agent into the eye. Ethyl pyruvate cleared up the cloudy corneas significantly more than topical steroids.
Applications
• Preventing scarification following traumatic eye injury
• Preventing scarification following eye surgery such as LASIK or PRK
• Treating skin injuries
Advantages
• Non-toxic and well tolerated
• Safer than currently available treatments for scarring after eye trauma
• Wide therapeutic window for safe and easy dosing
• Stable compound
• Diffuses into the cornea when applied topically
Invention Readiness
In vivo data
IP Status
https://patents.google.com/patent/US8815946B2
