Ophthalmic drug delivery utilizing two-photon absorption:: A novel approach to treat posterior capsule opacification

Intraocular lens (IOL) implantation is the standard technique to treat cataract. Despite recent progress in surgical procedures, posterior capsule opacification is one of the sill remaining postoperative complications of cataract surgery. We present a novel strategy to reduce the incidence of posterior capsule opacification. A drug delivery polymer suitable for manufacturing intraocular lenses has been developed which enables repeated drug release in a non-invasive and controlled manner. The therapeutic molecules are attached through a UV light sensitive linkage to the polymer backbone which is mainly responsible for the optical properties of the intraocular lenses. However, UV light can not trigger the release of drug, from the polymer due to the high absorption of the cornea. We developed linkers which enable drug release by two-photon absorption induced cleavage of the linker structure. Since the two-photon absorption requires high photon densities, this does not occur in ambient light conditions in daily life, but is easily triggered by focused laser beams from a pulsed laser. In this proof-of-principle study we have employed a cyclobutane type linker and investigated the properties of the therapeutic system with the approved drugs 5-fluorouracil and chlorambucil. The controlled drug delivery was successfully demonstrated in vitro and additional cell tests confirmed that the device itself shows no cytotoxicity until photochemical activation. This presented concept can provide a powerful method in ophthalmic drug delivery.