New implantable device slowly releases drug to prevent diabetic retinopathy
Many people who have type 2 diabetes choose to buy Actos to help improve their blood sugar control.
Many people who have type 2 diabetes choose to buy Actos to help improve their blood sugar control. The metabolic disorder can sometimes lead to retinal damage and, eventually, blindness, a problem that could be addressed with a new device created by University of British Columbia researchers.
Lead author Helen Burt and her colleagues published their findings in the journal Lab on a Chip, which reported that diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss among patients with the disease. The condition is caused when overgrowth of capillary cells occurs in the retina.
In order to help prevent this from happening, Burt's team developed an implantable device with a silicone membrane. The tool contains a small amount of the drug docetaxel, which is released in tiny doses. The researchers found that it managed to kill the proliferating cells before blindness could occur.
"The docetaxel retained its pharmacological efficacy for more than two months in the device," the researchers said. "[However], there's a lot of work ahead of us in terms of biocompatability and performance optimization."
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