Development of Novel Broad Spectrum Antimicrobial Corneal Tissue Storage Solutions

Endophthalmitis is a severe condition caused by inflammation of the ocular cavity and is a significant complication of corneal transplant proceduresoften being caused by microbial contamination of the donor tissueThe introduction of antibiotics into corneal tissue storage solutions in thes drastically lowered the incidence of bacterial endophthalmitis has drastically decreasedhoweverfungal endophthalmitisis on the riseThusthere is a clear need for the development of new corneal tissue storage products that prevent both bacterial and fungal microbial contaminationswhile still preserving the integrity of the corneal tissueiFyberthe lead organization for this effort proposes to evaluate multiple FDA approved antifungal agentsboth alone and combination with other antimicrobials to assess potential synergistic and or antagonistic effects with gentamicinstreptomycinand other broad spectrum antibioticsiFyber will make use of high throughput screening techniques to assess efficacy of these combination treatmentsand will also use an innovativeD human corneal tissue model to screen for potential effects on corneal tissue during storageTogetherthese tools will help to identify suitable formulation for corneal tissue storage solutionswhich will be further down selected in in vivo ocular irritation studies and transition into Phase II advanced development