Ocular Disease Therapeutics: Design and Delivery of Drugs for Diseases of the Eye

Abstract

The ocular drug discovery field has evidenced significant advancement in the past decade. The FDA approvals of Rhopressa, Vyzulta, and Roclatan for glaucoma, Brolucizumab for wet age-related macular degeneration (wet AMD), Luxturna for retinitis pigmentosa, Dextenza (0.4 mg dexamethasone intracanalicular insert) for ocular inflammation, ReSure sealant to seal corneal incisions, and Lifitegrast for dry eye represent some of the major developments in the field of ocular therapeutics. A literature survey also indicates that gene therapy, stem cell therapy, and target discovery through genomic research represent significant promise as potential strategies to achieve tissue repair or regeneration and to attain therapeutic benefits in ocular diseases. Overall, the emergence of new technologies coupled with first-in-class entries in ophthalmology are highly anticipated to restructure and boost the future trends in the field of ophthalmic drug discovery. This perspective focuses on various aspects of ocular drug discovery and the recent advances therein. Recent medicinal chemistry campaigns along with a brief overview of the structure–activity relationships of the diverse chemical classes and developments in ocular drug delivery (ODD) are presented.

Nanocarriers for ocular drug delivery: current status and translational opportunity

“…To deliver these therapeutics, various drug delivery systems, such as eye drops (solutions, suspensions, emulsions), in situ gels, ocular inserts, contact lenses, punctum plugs, intraocular injections, and implants, have been explored for effective ocular drug delivery. [3][4][5] The unique structural features of the eye and the physiological ocular barriers are major challenges for effective delivery at the disease site. [6][7][8][9][10] Recent advances in bioadhesive in situ gelling systems and nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems are gaining substantial attention for overcoming the drug delivery challenges.…”

Peptidomimetics Therapeutics for Retinal Disease

“…The drug release profile can be further modulated by tuning hydrophobic moieties. [110] This precipitation strategy is not ideal for large peptide or protein drugs due to the dramatic decrease in their activity after precipitation.…”

Biodegradable Nanoparticle for Cornea Drug Delivery: Focus Review

“…Thus, liposomes have proven able to circumvent this limitation and provide the possibility of drug delivery to both anterior and posterior segments of the eye in a sustained manner [ 59 ]. Excellent biocompatibility, the capability of loading both hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs, and cell membrane like structure make liposomes ideal candidate for ocular drug delivery purposes [ 60 ]. Taking all of this information into account, recent progress in liposomal cornea drug delivery has been summarized in Table 1 .…”