As the global number of retinal disease patients continues to rise, a team led by Dr. Yi-Ping Yang, Associate Researcher at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, has developed an ultra-high-efficiency deep retinal drug delivery system. Using dual supramolecular nanoparticle (SMNP) and gold nanoparticle (GNP) carriers, this system can precisely deliver drugs to retinal lesions, significantly improving retinal structure and effectively restoring patients’ visual functions.
Retinal diseases are a growing threat, and current treatments are insufficient for a cure.
Retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and inherited retinal diseases (IRD) are leading causes of vision loss in millions of people worldwide. Traditional treatments, including anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) injections and retinal surgeries, can temporarily delay the progression of the disease but cannot fundamentally repair retinal damage. Moreover, treatment effects are often limited due to individual variations.
Dual Nanotechnology Offers Precision Repair, Reducing Patient Burden by 80%
The core of this technology is a dual-nanoparticle delivery platform that combines SMNP and GNP, providing a more precise and efficient mechanism for drug and gene delivery. SMNP offers excellent biocompatibility and drug stability, protecting gene carriers from degradation in the body. Additionally, the supramolecular structure of SMNP increases the intracellular absorption rate of drugs or genes, enhancing therapeutic efficacy. GNP, with its nanoscale size and surface modification capability, facilitates the penetration of drugs and genes through the inner layers of the retina, overcoming the retinal barrier and enabling targeted delivery to lesions.
This technology has shown outstanding results in preclinical animal studies, particularly in the gene therapy application for X-linked retinoschisis (XLRS). Research indicates that mice treated with this technology exhibited significant retinal structural repair, with retinal electroretinography (ERG) recovery rates exceeding 80%, far surpassing the 50% recovery seen with traditional viral vector gene therapies.
Nanotechnology Advances to Clinical Trials, Offering Long-Term Solutions for Retinal Diseases
Dr. Yi-Ping Yang stated that the technology has completed preclinical research and is now advancing to Phase I clinical trials, aiming for precise treatment applications for AMD and IRD. The team has utilized a retinal-targeted gene in situ spatial analysis platform, combined with high-throughput multi-omics analysis, to identify key pathogenic pathways and further optimize treatment strategies. In the future, this technology is expected not only to become a standard treatment for retinal diseases but also to expand its potential to other ophthalmic diseases, offering patients safer, more effective, and long-lasting treatment options.
Resource: 奈米藥物傳遞技術突破屏障 修復視網膜成救「視」主
