Disorders of wound healing constitute a serious medical problem for several different organ systems including the cornea. Persistent corneal epithelial defects occur in a wide variety of clinical situations such as in injuries caused by radiation, corneal abrasions or lacerations, chemical burns, keratitis and corneal dystrophies. Persistent corneal epithelial defects carry a high risk of corneal perforation and ulceration. In most cases, failure of re-epithelialization is due not to inadequate cell proliferation, but to a reduced potential of the epithelium to migrate across the wound bed. Recent studies have suggested that carbohydrate-binding proteins, galectins-3 and -7, have potential to influence cell migration and promote re-epithelialization of corneal wounds. In general, it is believed that these galectins will be clinically useful in stimulating the healing of wounds associated with any epithelial tissue including the corneal epithelium. The overall long-term goal of this project is to develop a novel topical ophthalmic pharmaceutical containing galectin-3 and/or galectin-7, which is effective in accelerating re-epithelialization of corneal wounds. This drug would potentially be useful in treating acute corneal injuries and epithelial defects as well as more chronic conditions such as persistent epithelial defects. The first stages of drug development will include chemical characterization of the molecules, ophthalmic formulation development, stability analysis, and testing in animal models for corneal wound healing.
