The University of Lausanne is offering this technology for licensing.

The technology is a new system that improves results of non-penetrating glaucoma surgery.

Development Phase :

Clinical.

Patent Status :

A provisional patent application has been filed on July, 2001. Patent pending.

Patent Attorney :
Mintz & Levin, Boston, USA

Novelty and Benefits :
¨
Rigid, non-absorbable implant, keeps the surgically created space patent and prevents its obliteration by the fibrotic reaction of the wound healing process
¨ Improved efficacy through implant coating
¨ Competitive manufacturing cost

Rigid Coatable Implant for Non-Penetrating Glaucoma Surgery

(Reference Number IDF 15/01)

The Technology :

Until recently, the golden standard for glaucoma treatment was trabeculectomy. Despite its widespread application, the relatively high incidence of complications associated to this method have prompted investigators to search for other alternatives. Non-penetrating surgery started in the fifties, but only the nineties when the use of implants greatly increased its success rate did it become the procedure of choice for many glaucoma specialists world-wide. Its main drawback remains the price of the implants, which sell between 200 and 400$.

We propose an implant with characteristics that greatly increased the efficacy of the surgical operation. Its shape allows maximum efficiency of the filtering space, creating an optimal aqueous reservoir. Coating of the implant with specific compounds further improves the outcome of the technique.

Applications :

Treatment of glaucoma.