Partner Article

Eye-catching research secures agency support

A groundbreaking way to deliver vision-saving drugs to the inside of the eye is now in sight. The treatment has the potential to help millions of people worldwide, and is being developed in the North East.

For some, the only treatment option for blinding eye conditions such as diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular degeneration involves injecting drugs directly into the eyeball. This is risky and unpleasant for the patient.

However, ophthalmologist and medical research scientist Dr Alan Whitmore has invented a novel nanotechnology-based method for delivering drugs to the interior of the eye without the use of a needle.

In 2006, Alan - also a qualified GP - founded Lumemed Ltd, based near Hexham in Northumberland, to evaluate and take forward his idea, which uses magnetic fields and light to release medicines without affecting surrounding tissues or organs.

Dr Whitmore said: “One of the greatest problems facing ophthalmologists trying to treat potentially blinding diseases is the difficulty of achieving safe and effective drug delivery to the various structures within the eye without producing serious side effects and complications. Often the only option is an eye injection.

“This is where my new delivery method comes in. Critically, it should eventually allow us to treat more people, to treat diseases much earlier, to be more efficient, to reduce discomfort and to avoid the potentially catastrophic complications of intraocular injections.

“If we can demonstrate that the concept works then we will begin to develop drugs for eye diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma using this technology.”

To help deliver the first stage of the development project the company was recently awarded a Research and Development (R&D) Grant of nearly £99,000 by One North East. NorthStar Equity Investors has also pledged additional support of £60,000 through its Proof of Concept Fund to support the work.

One North East Business Finance R&D Specialist Advisor, Eleanor Anderson, said: “As well as advancing the field of medicine and improving patient care, this technology offers real economic benefits for the regional healthcare sector, and proves that even in the current tough economic climate that good ideas are still being generated. Novel products will always find a market and can help develop businesses.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .