Iontophoresis

From EyeWorld <Eye_World@xmr3.com>

The National Eye Institute has awarded a $1.2 million research grant to the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and the University of Cincinnati, Ohio, to study the use of iontophoresis for ocular drug delivery.

The grant was announced in a press release from Aciont Inc. (Salt Lake City), a company that is attempting to commercialize iontophoresis for posterior segment ocular applications. Faculty members at the two universities have been collaborating with Aciont on developing ocular drug delivery applications, according to the press release.

In iontophoresis, an electrical current is used to transport ionized agents through tissue. This is the basis of Aciont’s Visulex trans-scleral drug delivery system. The company and its collaborators hope that the system will improve the treatment of posterior segment diseases such as age-related macular degeneration.