Treating Uveitis with a Georgia Tech Microneedle Innovation | Research for Real Life

[00:00:05]My name is David Chen Yee. I'm the physician partner and director of clinical trials at Georgia Retina based in Atlanta, Georgia. I'm a retina specialist. The retina is that sensory layer that receives [music] light and transmits that to the brain and that's how we're able to see. The primary condition or indication for treatment is what we call uveitis.

[00:00:26]>> [music] >> And uveitis is the medical term for saying there's inflammation within the back part of the eye or the inner walls of the eye. So if you have swelling and inflammation, you are losing the ability to see.

[00:00:39]>> Routinely, [music] we've used a larger needle that goes into the inside of the eye. But now, a microneedle developed at [music] Georgia Tech allows us to treat this condition in a brand new way.

[00:00:51]>> It's a small needle that penetrates not directly into the eye, but into the wall of the eye. The microneedle allows us to get the medication targeted directly to [music] where we need the treatment.

[00:01:02]It's nice to be able to provide that durable treatment, >> [music] >> sustained treatment, that lasts longer and gives them comfort and reduces their anxiety and concern.

[00:01:13]Research is extremely important because we still have not met that need that we've always wanted, which is to reverse blindness.

[00:01:21]>> [music] >> Research like this microneedle from Georgia Tech could help us get there.