Prof. WONG Man-sau, Director of the Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI), and Prof. LIU Juewen from the University of Waterloo have successfully developed a novel formulation for treating dry eye diseases using nanoparticles: aptamer-functionalised liposomes.
A key challenge in ocular drug delivery is the need to prolong the retention of drugs in the eyes. Cyclosporine A is a therapeutic agent for dry eye diseases. The aptamer-functionalised liposomes developed by the team could prolong the retention of Cyclosporine A on the corneal surface. Aptamer-functionalised liposomes are nanoparticles on the surface of which are aptamers (i.e., short nucleotides) that bind to specific molecular targets with high affinity. The team discovered an aptamer that is capable of binding to the corneal surface for delivering Cyclosporine A loaded in liposomes. This approach not only mitigates the adverse effects associated with the drug, but also augments its therapeutic efficacy in managing dry eye disease.
Related research works have been published in three esteemed journals. The study opens up new avenues for the future of nano-based drug delivery, enabling the treatment of ocular diseases via topical eye drops that deliver natural products, supplements and small molecules. Findings have been published in Biomedical Journal (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2319417023001221).
