PREMIO APPLICO - OFTALMOLOGIA 2014

 

I PROGETTI VINCITORI

 

MIGLIOR PROGETTO APPLICATO nell'OFTALMOLOGIA ITALIANA 2014

The D-Eye module is compact, extremely portable, capable of performing retinal imaging at clinical resolution, and, thanks to its design, magnetically attaches a number of smartphones. An inherent ergonomic ease makes this smartphone ophthalmoscopy technique much panoramic (up to 25 degrees) and easier than traditional direct ophthalmoscopy, since the examiner does not need to lean in toward the patient, but can work at a convenient distance, using the smartphone’s screen to aim its camera on the patient’s eye. Moreover, the smartphone camera’s autofocus capability accounts for a patient’s refractive error.

 

IDEA APPLICATA dell'OFTALMOLOGIA ITALIANA 2014

The LUMAXIS project consists in developing of a medical device which integrates a new not invasive method, to objectively evaluate the optical properties of stroma based on the interferometric analysis of diffractive and polarizing effects related to the spatial distribution of corneal collagen fibrils. It has the capability to investigate, by an acquisition head with a patented optical lay-out, the effects of interaction between light and transparent bodies, in our case with stromal tissue.

 

IDEA APPLICATA dell'OFTALMOLOGIA ITALIANA 2014

The PPSS (Portable Personal Sight Support) focuses on the possibility to either supply rehabilitation and vision help to patients affected by hypo-vision syndromes. The equipment will be based on Epson Moverio BT200 binocular see through stereoscopic glasses equipped with a camera, which capture images and project on the glass screen with a degree of magnification. In some diseases, where the eye centre of vision is damaged, the project foresees as a key point that the images projected onto the screen centre, are redirected to the peripheral corona of patient retina where cones and sticks still capture images.

 

IDEA APPLICATA dell'OFTALMOLOGIA ITALIANA 2014

The main objective of the project SWeetLight is to design a robotic consolle for laser welding of the corneal tissue in penetrating keratoplasty, lamellar and endothelial keratoplasty, in pediatric cataract surgery and for closuring corneal incisions. The device will be composed by a near infrared, low power, diode laser to induce the welding effect in the wound; a robotic platform that will consists of a 7 degrees of freedom robotic arm system and a mounted vision system allowing the robotic arm to be driven using a visual servoing approach; a sensorised end effector, with force and distance feedback, that will control different applicator handpieces to deliver the laser light; a disposable ready-to-use preparation of a suitable chromophore.

 

 

ALCUNI DEI PROGETTI SELEZIONATI

 

Col Innovative Lines

The product is innovative and unique on the market, designed with years of study by a group of people belonging to our company and with a university knowledge in medical and biological field, headed by owner, inventor and the patent holder of the product. Before beginning the study and advancing the project of the entire line of medical device, so called "col line", has been launched a market survey to ensure that there was still nothing innovative on that direction.

 

Corneal Collagen Crosslinking (CXL) with Pachymetric and Altimetric Guided UV-A Release

Design: open perspective non-randomized phase III clinical study. 
Phase a. determination of the minimum optimal UV-A energy dose (370 nm wave-lenght) to induce corneal stiffening and surface reshaping in order to stabilize the ectasia and improve or stabilize visual acuity, without affecting endothelium, lens and retinal structures, avoiding or reducing the necessity of donor corneal transplant.

 

Corneal infection-preventing oxygen loaded nanodroplets

Chitosan-shelled oxygen-loaded nanodroplets, patented by the University of Torino, have been extensively investigated in vitro and in experimental animals proving that they: 
-can be administered topically on intact mucosae; 
-can sustainedly release (up to 4-6 hours) oxygen in a passive way, on the basis of the level of tissue hypoxia; 
-can effectively prevent the occurrence of bacterial and fungal infections due to the antimicrobial effect of chitosan; 
-have in-situ bioadhesion properties allowing their retention at ocular level. 

 

DUO, a unique and innovative multi-drug delivery system

In case of chronic diseases or long term treatment such as glaucoma, dry-eye syndrome, chronic conjunctivitis cataract, allergy, ecc. patients normally use more than one medication, usually eye drops. In this condition, managing and instilling ophthalmic solutions can be problematic and can present a major hurdle for compliance and patients independence.

 

Efficacy of ELOISIN collyrium

The active principle of ELOISIN collyrium is the aliphatic takychinin ELEDOISIN studied in Roma's La Sapienza University by italian Pharmacologist V. Erspamer proposed four times for Nobel prize. It STIMULATES, not SUBSTITUTES,lacrimal, salivary and others exocrine secretions acting on cholinergic muscarinic receptors M3 present in respective glands.

 

GlassUp for Sight-Impaired

The objective of the project is to develop a unique, radically innovative, low vision aid with a light-weight eyeglass form-factor for the compensation of severe vision impairments originating from spherical ametropy. With a customizable correction power up to 50D, the device is the only one able to overcome the correction constraints imposed by manufacturing, being a solution for thousands of visually impaired in the world.

 

 

High resolution clinical MRI scanner for the eye

Objective of the project is to set up, test and industrialize an innovative low cost, non invasive scanner based on high spatial resolution Magnetic Resonance Imaging to be used for ocular analysis. The apparatus will be based on: a very compact 0.2T permanent magnet, specifically designed electronics, acquisition sequences capable of reducing acquisition time. It wiil reach a sub-millimetric resolution by adopting a multi-coil receiver of high temperature super-conducting material. 

HOLOSCOPE

HOLOSCOPE is an external module adaptable to all conventional light microscopes and is supplied with a user friendly software interface. It was developed by our team and has proven to be an effective tool in Neuroscience. We strongly believe that this innovative tool can be successfully translated into Ophthalmic Pre-clinical Resarch by permitting high spatio-temporal resolution imaging on retinal slices. 

HUMANEYE

HUMANEYE is an implantable device designed to reinstate adequate visual conditions through the remodeling of corneas with pathological deformations to a regular physiological shape (e.g. keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, post corneal refractive surgery ectasia, astigmatism and high order aberrations post penetrating keratoplasty or post DALK). 

IGOR Il Prontoculista

Igor is an innovative web application in the way of telemedicine in the field of ophthalmology. The mission of IGOR is to offer a expert medical advice on Ophthalmology providing a full report of the most common ophthalmic diagnostic examination. By the use of the store-and-forward method, a wide range of operators carry out the exams everywhere diagnostic instruments are available and uploads ophthalmic imaging on the web application which assures reporting within 72hr. by an IGOR qualified doctor selected by the patient, or directly by patient’s doctor if already enrolled.

 

In Vivo Assessment of Retinal Remodeling in Age-related Macular Degeneration by a Novel Technology

Imaging assessment of retinal remodeling in age-related macular degeneration. Optical coherence tomography automated quantification to estimate the natural history of retinal involvement in long-term follow-up. The area in which this project has been designed is the early age related macular degeneration (AMD), a major cause of vision loss in the elderly.

 

 

Lenses for Degenerative Vitreous Syndrome (DVS) and its retinal correlations

Eye floaters are a leading cause of ophthalmic consultations, however there is no specific therapy and little can be done excluding surgery or yag-laser, often considered too risky. There is evidence that sunglasses can reduce floaters perception by increasing pupil diameter and lowering light contrast.

 

Nanoscale delivery system for glaucoma

Previous studies have demonstrated that a nanoscale silicon membrane can deliver drugs in a very efficient and controlled way (see figures). We aim to test this technology in the glaucoma field to produce a reservoir to deliver the drug in a controlled manner for a period up to two years.

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Noninvasive device for the detection of pathology in the human cornea and sclera

The purpose of the project is to design, realise and validate a new device for the non-destructive and noninvasive measurements of the local thermoelastic properties of cornea and sclera. Material and Methods.The proposed device uses two semiconductor lasers. The pump laser is used to produce a weak local temperature gradient to induce a reversible weak thermoelastic deformation. 

 

Ocular muscles rigeneration in congenital non-progressive eye movement disorders

The Rigeneracons filter is a CE - Class I approved medical device produced in Italy by HBW srl , able to obtain from human tissues intrasurgical micro-grafts of 50 microns. Preliminary tests conducted by HBW srl and Dr L. Ambrosio, MD, PhD , demonstrated that after 1 minute mechanical disgregation of human muscles samples (5mm length), it is possible to to obtain 50.000 muscle micro-grafts.

 

Pharmacological enhancement of corneal regeneration by a new proprietary drug

Our recent study show how the genetic manipulation of a signal transduction pathway enhances numbers and functions of human epithelial stem cells suggesting that pharmacological manipulation of this pathway may implement the use of these human cells in regenerative medicine.The main objective of this study is to manipulate pharmacologically this signaling pathway by mean of a new proprietary molecule, in order to ameliorate epithelial stem cell expansion ex vivo and implement corneal regeneration in vivo while reducing inflammation. 

 

Prevention of Diabetic Retinopathy by Treatment with Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA)

There is not yet a resolutive cure for type 1 (juvenile) and type 2 diabetes and chronic complications are unfortunately the consequence. Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the first cause of blindness in working age population, develops after several years of diabetes. Prevention of DR has never been implemented for two reasons: 1) Unknown pathogenetic mechanism and 2) lack of a validated biomarker for the early identification of patients at risk of DR.

 

Temperature control in vitreoretinal surgery

Realization of instrumentation able to modulate the temperature of infusion in the vitreous cavity during vitrectomy surgery in order to avoid large fluctuations and to promote a neuroprotective effect during surgery without reaching deep hypothermia.

TETRA

Developmental dyslexia is a specific reading disability that affects 4-10% of the scholar population. It is defined as a reading difficulty despite adequate instruction…, not caused by reduced visual acuity. Clinical research reinforces the idea that in dyslexic children not only a phonological deficiency but also an impairment referred to higher order visual functions can be involved. The TETRA protocol and the birth of TETRA Tool aims at detecting and typifying visuoperception abnormalities in dyslexics

 

THE RIPI-V®(Permanent Rebalancing Infrared Visual Input) PROJECT

The project consists in development and commercialization of therapeutic devices (Eyeglasses and sunglasses, sports glasses, sports helmets, patches, applications for eyeglass arms, diving masks, overalls motoring or cycling) for the treatment and prevention of Convergence insufficiency using a particular non-radioactive ceramic composition. RIPI-V® permits to reflect the far-infrared frequency from our body (Institute of Nanoscience CNR of the Univeristy of Pisa)and this is able to relax our eyes muscles or to prevent tension without producing heat ( Italian Association of Thermography).

 

Vitreous Geodesic Tamponade

Develop a tamponade vitreous substitute to restore the anatomical position and physiological function of the retina after detachment. The present industrial invention patent application describes a new tamponade vitreous substitute to maintain and/or restore the physiological function and position of the retina after detachment. The present invention describes a vitreous substitute that can be implanted in the vitreous chamber during a pars plana vitrectomy, preferably with the aid of surgical instrumentation of 23 gauge type.

2WIN for Vision

The “2WIN For Vision” project is based on the 2WIN, a small, portable, hand-held, light, battery operated instruments Wi-Fi connected to the current mobile devices (phones/tablets) and on a 2WIN cloud platform for the storage and management of the exams data. Project: Portable non-mydriatic refractometer and vision analyzer enables vision measurements on large numbers of patients in remote and under-served locations. Effective early screening of amblyogenic factors -Objective InfraRed cover test to measure angle K, tropias and phorias.

 

 

3DforEye - Awaken your sight

3DforEye aims at developing a technology that will allow the use of 3D systems (normally used for individual entertainment) in the field of the diagnosis and treatment of vision problems. In particular we target the disorder of sight called amblyopia (also known as lazy eye). Amblyopia should be detected as early as possible in order to start the treatment still in young age. Our system will be able to help physicians and individuals to detect problems in the stereo vision and will propose activities suitable for exercising the lazy eye.