Sharklet Technologies
Sharklet Technologies has incorporated technology derived from the shark’s ability to remain bacteria-free into a patterned protective membrane. To date, there is “strong in vivo results” showing the lens can facilitate the growth of human lens epithelial cells outside the visual axis, thus eliminating PCO.
In lab analyses, when there is a smooth surface, cells freely migrate into the space, but with a patterned surface cell migration was reduced by 80%. The company worked with Liliana Werner, MD, and the Moran Eye Institute to develop a rabbit model and compared a prototype lens to a traditional IOL. All of the traditional IOL implants would have required a follow-up YAG laser for PCO compared to none of the prototype lenses. Plans to launch the lens in multifocal, monofocal, and toric versions are ongoing once human trials can be initiated.
Presenter:
Mark Spiecker
Mark Spiecker leads Sharklet Technologies, Inc. and its joint venture, Clearsight, LLC, which is developing the first intraocular lens featuring the microorganism-inhibiting Sharklet micro-texture to reduce the incidence of PCO.