Bioelastic Materials for Strabismus and Retinal Surgery

The objective is to modify a currently available, synthetic polypeptide polymer to prevent the adhesions and fibrovascular scarring which can follow strabismus and retinal detachment surgery. Such scarring often produces significant restriction to eye movement and malposition of the eyes. The polypeptide, which has already been shown to prevent scar formation in a rabbit experimental model, is now formed in sheets and large tubes. The polypeptide will be modified by the inclusion of ester bonds and chemical clocks to facilitate its degradation in the subconjunctival space. Such a material should have significant clinical application, particularly in reoperation procedures for strabismus and retinal detachment surgery involving the extraocular muscles. The project will utilize a new class of unique biomaterials, elastomeric polypeptides, which are polymers constructed of repeating sequences that occur in native elastin. These materials are particularly suited to this application since they are polypeptides of natural amino acids and arranged in sequences that occur throughout the body. All data to date, including eleven recommended generic biological tests, indicate these materials to be biocompatible and totally innocuous. Phase I will focus on the development of an elastomer which degrades at a suitable rate and shows no adverse reaction in the rabbit model. These studies will be extended in Phase II to the biological testing of the materials developed in Phase I, and more extensive animal studies will be designed to move the application toward clinical trials.