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Nanotherapy on the eye against resistant germs

Bacteria can cause dangerous infections after surgery on the eye. Particularly feared are antibiotic-resistant germs, which are almost impossible to treat and can lead to the loss of the eye. In the Nanovision project, researchers at Empa and the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen are developing novel nanocomplexes that kill resistant germs and protect the eye tissue at the same time. The project is supported by the Heinz A. Oertli Fund for Ophthalmology.

In cataracts, a clouding of the eye lens leads to a progressive loss of visual acuity. Around 17 million people worldwide are blind due to this eye condition. Cataract surgery provides a remedy and is therefore one of the most common surgical procedures performed on the eye. Complications such as an infection inside the eye occur in less than one percent of the patients. However, as the surgery is performed millions of times, the group of people affected is correspondingly large. Such an infection is particularly feared when antibiotic-resistant bacteria are involved, and conventional medication is no longer effective. Researchers at Empa and the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen are therefore developing nanocomplexes that kill resistant germs and protect the eye tissue. The Nanovision project was made possible by funding from Empa's Heinz A. Oertli Fund.

Blocking bacterial toxins

If left untreated, the infection inside the eye, so-called endophthalmitis, leads to severe pain and even loss of the affected eye. Bacterial toxins and tissue-damaging defense reactions of the body's immune system are to blame. High-dose antibiotics injected into the eyeball can help – but only if the germs causing the infection are not resistant to the active ingredients. And this is where the problem lies: The typical endophthalmitis bacteria, staphylococci and enterococci, are among the pathogens for which antibiotics are currently becoming increasingly ineffective.

“We want to combat this problem with novel nanocomplexes,” says Empa researcher Mihyun Lee from the Biointerfaces laboratory in St. Gallen. The nanocomplexes are being developed on the basis of tannin, a plant polyphenol with antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. In addition, the nanocomplexes are equipped with toxin blockers and antimicrobial peptides (AMP), which kill bacteria. The combination results in a multifunctional nanotherapeutic that protects the eye tissue by blocking bacterial toxin production and eliminates the germs. The Nanovision team will then use an ex vivo eye infection model to analyze how efficiently the nanocomplexes work.


Text: Andrea Six
Source: https://www.empa.ch/web/s604/nanovision-augenheilkunde-projekt-dank-zukunftsfonds

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