Glaucoma, known as "the silent thief of sight," is the second leading cause of blindness globally. This chronic and progressive disease is highly prevalent across multiple continents, affecting millions of people and causing irreversible vision loss. Hong Kong, a Special Administrative Region of China, faces a significant burden from this condition, particularly Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma (POAG), which is common in Asia.
Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma (POAG), the focus of our research, is the most common type of glaucoma worldwide. It develops when the drainage of aqueous humor becomes insufficient, leading to an increase in intraocular pressure (IOP). This elevated IOP exerts force on the surrounding ocular tissues and cells, ultimately damaging retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and resulting in vision impairment.
The symptoms of Glaucoma are severe, suffering, and irreversible. The most widely-known symptom is the loss of vision, beginning from the peripheral areas. Other physical symptoms include acute eye pain, headaches, insomnia, etc. As a result, the symptoms not only cause extreme physical discomfort, but also heart-wrenching psychological effects to patients. Our team strives to devote to mitigating the problem.
We developed a dual-purpose eyedrop targeting the two main causes of glaucoma by integrating the fusion peptides FT and BC using a cocktail theory design. In this formulation, FT specifically targets elevated intraocular pressure, helping to regulate fluid dynamics within the eye, while BC focuses on preventing retinal ganglion cell apoptosis, offering neuroprotection. This dual approach allows simultaneous management of both pressure-induced damage and neuronal loss, addressing glaucoma's complex pathology more effectively than single-target treatments.
For glaucoma treatment, non-invasive methods improve patient convenience and compliance. To overcome delivery barriers and reach retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) at the back of the eye, we use nanocarriers as targeted delivery vehicles. Nanocarriers provide benefits such as specific targeting, enhanced drug stability, controlled release, and reduced side effects. This enables effective drug penetration and sustained release, making our therapy the first non-invasive treatment capable of protecting and curing RGCs in the world.
Project Opthera also strives to engage with different stakeholders in the society. Through our human practice events, we obtain insightful information from patients, professors, drug manufacturers, etc. Through our eduaction events, we pass down knowledge of SynBio and glaucoma to different groups such as patients, university graduates, and elementary school students. We hope to amplify our project's impact to this society with profound width and depth.
We are not alone in this iGEM journey. The development of this large-scale project involves various stakeholders in this society. Professors, patients, ophthalmologists, students, and more targeted groups, all provide us valuable insights on how to improve our project in various aspects. We are deeply grateful for all your contributions and effort.
