Synergistic Antifungal Cocktails for Corneal Storage

Fungal endophthalmitis is an infection inside the eye after corneal transplant surgery caused by contamination of the transplanted tissueAccording to the Eye Bank of Americathe incidence of postsurgery endophthalmitis more than doubled fromtoand thatof the culture positive cases were due to Candida yeastEnvironmental contamination as well as current corneal preservation conditions contribute to the proliferation of fungiSolutions used for transportation and storage of donor cornea may therefore benefit from addition of antifungal drugs to prevent infectionsUsing a rapid and cost effective screening methodsynergistic combinations of multiple drugs will be developed and an antifungal cocktail will be formulated to achieve high efficacy against Candida species at low dosesminimizing negative impact on corneal tissueAntifungal performance and corneal tissue viability will be validated by assessment of storage stabilitysafety against the corneal tissueand antifungal spectrumBy using synergistic combinations of multiple drugsdose and associated toxicity will be decreased