SURFACE MODIFICATION OF CORNEAL OVERLAY IMPLANTS

THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROJECT IS TO IMPROVE THE SURFACE PROPERTIES OF ARTIFICIAL CORNEA OVERLAY IMPLANTS FORUSE IN REFRACTIVE SURGICAL PROCEDURES. THIS WILL BE DONE BYCOVALENTLY IMMOBILIZING CELL ADHESION PROTEINS TO THESE LENSES TO PROMOTE EPITHELIALIZATION OVER THE SYNTHETIC MATERIALS. THE SPECIFIC AIMS OF PHASE I WILL BE TO USE PROPRIETARY CHEMISTRIES TO PREPARE DERIVATIVES OF CELL ADHESION PROTEINS, DEMONSTRATE COVALENT IMMOBILIZATION OF THESE FACTORS TO LENS MATERIALS, AND SHOW THAT SUCH SURFACE MODIFICATIONS WILL PROMOTE MORE RAPID AND ADHERENT OUTGROWTHOF CORNEAL EPITHELIUM OVER THE LENSES. STABLE AND RAPID OVERGROWTH AND ADHESION OF CORNEAL EPITHELIAL CELLS WILL BE A NECESSITY FOR THE SUCCESSFUL REPLACEMENT OF THE CORNEA WITH SYNTHETIC MATERIALS. THE POTENTIAL FOR THIS RESEARCH IS TO MAKE POSSIBLE THE USE OF CORNEAL OVERLAY PROCEDURES FOR CORRECTION OF APHAKIA, MYOPIA, AND ASTIGMATISM. THIS PROCEDURE COULD BE MADE ELECTIVE FOR THE MILLIONS OF PATIENTS (135 MILLION IN THE UNITED STATES IN 1986) WHO MAY DESIRE IMPROVED VISION WITHOUT THE USE AND BOTHER OF CONTACT LENSES OR SPECTACLES.