Grant: Project Grant

Several million Canadians are affected by age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy, ocular diseases that severely impair vision and quality of life. The drugs currently used to treat these conditions can only be administered via intraocular injections, a procedure that involves penetrating the eye with a needle to deliver medication in close proximity to the retina, and such treatments may extend over several years. It is therefore essential to develop a drug delivery system capable of significantly improving these highly invasive treatments. In this context, we have developed a novel drug delivery system based on gold nanoparticles, initially designed for use in ophthalmic eye drops to target corneal diseases. However, our recent ex vivo and in vivo studies on the biodistribution of gold nanoparticles in the rabbit eye have demonstrated that gold nanoparticles administered via eye drops are capable of reaching the posterior segment of the eye. This finding represents a major opportunity to improve the administration of treatments for retinal diseases. The primary objective of this project is to address the following research question: Is it possible to replace intraocular drug injections with eye drops using gold nanoparticles for patients with retinal diseases? We will seek to understand how the developed nanotechnologies influence therapeutic efficacy in different pathological ocular environments, and conversely, how these environments affect nanoparticle performance. This novel gold nanoparticle-based formulation has the potential to revolutionize the treatment of retinal diseases by enabling patients to self-administer therapies in the form of eye drops, thereby avoiding the complications associated with intraocular injections.