Background

Ocular scarring after surgery, trauma, or infection leads to vision loss and blindness. Blindness due to corneal scarring can currently only be resolved by transplantation, necessitating new approaches in regenerative wound healing in the eye.

Technology Overview

A self-deliverable siRNA has been developed by Upstate Medical University researchers to specifically target a gene that modulates scarring in order to promote corneal wound healing. The approach has been validated ex vivo and in vivo, with treatment after corneal wounding resulting in faster wound closure, limited scarring, suppression of fibrotic markers, and restoration of corneal thickness.