In line with the NEI National Plan to """"""""develop new approaches in ocular diagnosis and therapy"""""""" we have devised and tested a new system for targeted delivery of drugs and dyes to local areas in the eye. The goal of the project is to apply the method to gain further knowledge of the retinal microcirculation in health and disease and to evaluate the potential therapeutic efficacy of targeting drugs to the retina. The instrumentation developed to visualize the microvasculature and measure the circulation will be upgraded to optimize the combination of high rate video imaging and high resolution film imaging. The analysis will be enhanced to improve regional and local blood flow measurements, and the image processing will be refined to provide better assessment of the structural changes in the microvasculature. Experimental studies in primates will focus on issues of direct clinical interest. In each study the relation between local and regional blood circulation will be measured and correlated with the functional structure of the microvasculature. The studies will include: the autoregulation of the retinal microcirculation, the effect of hemodilution, early retinal microcirculatory changes in diabetes, and the effect of laser photocoagulation procedures on the macular circulation. A dedicated drug delivery instrument will be developed to permit prolonged targeted delivery of drugs in the retina. The use of intravascular targeting will be assessed by the delivery of thrombogenic agents to treat tumors and neovascularization. The extravascular delivery of drugs will be optimized and its application will be tested by treating experimental melanoma with chemotherapeutic agents. It is hoped that these studies will open new avenues in the diagnosis and therapy of vision threatening conditions.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Eye Institute (NEI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
7R01EY007768-06
Application #
2161700
Study Section
Visual Sciences A Study Section (VISA)
Project Start
1988-08-01
Project End
1995-08-31
Budget Start
1993-09-30
Budget End
1995-08-31
Support Year
6
Fiscal Year
1993
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Johns Hopkins University
Department
Ophthalmology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
045911138
City
Baltimore
State
MD
Country
United States
Zip Code
21218
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Zeimer, R; Goldberg, M F (2001) Novel ophthalmic therapeutic modalities based on noninvasive light-targeted drug delivery to the posterior pole of the eye. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 52:49-61
Asrani, S; Zou, S; D'Anna, S et al. (1997) Feasibility of laser-targeted photoocclusion of the choriocapillary layer in rats. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 38:2702-10
Asrani, S; Zou, S; D'Anna, S et al. (1996) Selective visualization of choroidal neovascular membranes. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 37:1642-50
Asrani, S; Zou, S; D'Anna, S et al. (1996) Noninvasive visualization of blood flow in the choriocapillaris of the rat. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 37:312-7
Asrani, S; D'Anna, S; Alkan-Onyuksel, H et al. (1995) Systemic toxicology and laser safety of laser targeted angiography with heat sensitive liposomes. J Ocul Pharmacol Ther 11:575-84
Asrani, S; Zeimer, R (1995) Feasibility of laser targeted photo-occlusion of ocular vessels. Br J Ophthalmol 79:766-70
Kiryu, J; Asrani, S; Shahidi, M et al. (1995) Local response of the primate retinal microcirculation to increased metabolic demand induced by flicker. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 36:1240-6
Kiryu, J; Shahidi, M; Mori, M T et al. (1994) Noninvasive visualization of the choriocapillaris and its dynamic filling. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci 35:3724-31
Ogura, Y; Guran, T; Takahashi, K et al. (1993) Occlusion of retinal vessels using targeted delivery of a platelet aggregating agent. Br J Ophthalmol 77:233-7

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