sing an optimised formulation.
Targeted drug delivery to ocular tissues has been a major challenge for decades, however the coinciding of improvements to experimental modelling with the advent of nanotechnology, has driven development and advances in the area at a rapid pace over the last twenty years. Some of the work on display in this session really underlined how far therapeutic delivery has come in addressing the key limitations that have hindered efficacy until now, with a number of innovative, diverse approaches detailed. Certainly, the concept of a topical drop formulation that delivers a sustained release of a targeting therapeutic to replace invasive strategies currently in use for certain eye diseases does not look that far away from being a reality.
Before the day ended there was an opportunity for those interested to discuss European networking opportunities with key stakeholders of 3D NEONET, and experts in the UCD research office and Health Research Board, to explore potential opportunities for workshop attendees of all backgrounds to work together. This was once again an excellent opportunity as an early career researcher to sit at a table with some of the leading figures in their respective field and learn from their experiences in developing a profile, establishing networks, and securing funding at a European level.
The second day of the workshop got underway looking at the tail-end of the pipeline – translation from bench to bedside. Basic research, which furthers our understanding of the differences between ‘normal’ and ‘disease’ states, often does not directly translate in clinically useful applications. In relation to the ocular field, as iterated earlier, access to human ocular tissue for experimental purposes is quite restricted meaning the penultimate design of agents of therapeutics that achieve the highest efficacy with the minimal toxicity for use in humans, using non-human models in their development, is challenging. This final session aimed to look at how laboratory findings can be, and have been, integrated into clinical trials for translational benefit for patient populations.
Prof. Neil Lagali (Linköping University) focussed on the rise of hydrogel–based biomaterials as effective therapeutic platforms for ocular therapy, detailing the challenges associated with the development, testing, and obtaining of ethical/regulatory approval for conducting clinical investigations.
Dr. Ishbel MacDonald (MacDonald Regulatory Ltd) built on this talk by giving an overview, in the general sense, of considerations to be made when developing and bringing a concept for an ocular therapeutic from bench to bedside.
Dr. Rosemarie Carew (FIRECREST Solutions) then highlighted the importance of the design of a clinical trial in general – particularly from a personnel point of view. Dr. Carew then demoed a number of innovative digital strategies FIRECREST Solutions have deployed for a number of different trials across Europe that have proven efficacy in reducing trials costings, improving compliance, and increasing site/patient engagement.
Dr. Anne-Marie Bleau (Sylentis) then detailed her company’s experiences in bringing their RNAi-based drugs to market. In light of the content of the first three talks, the journey and successes of two different drugs from in vitro, to in vivo, to patient trials was eye-opening (pun intended).
Dr. Naomi Chadderton (Trinity College Dublin) detailed her experiences in contributing to a two-decade long research and development program at TCD that has used next-gen sequencing to improve the diagnosis, prognosis and understanding of a number of ocular diseases. This research has enabled a number of gene-based therapies to transition from a basic to translational setting, and in some instances even commercial.
The session finished with Kelly Mulfaul (Trinity College Dublin) who had an excellent opportunity to practise for her viva (scheduled the following week) by detailing some of her PhD findings which demonstrate TLR2’s role in oxidative stress and complement activation in translati