Team:NCKU Tainan/Description
Project Background
Glaucoma is one of the most severe ocular diseases. It progressively damages the optic nerves, characterized by the loss of the peripheral visual field. According to the WHO, glaucoma is the first leading cause of irreversible blindness, affecting over 80 million people worldwide[1]. In terms of social security benefits, lost income tax revenues, and health care expenditures, the annual cost of glaucoma treatment to the US government alone is estimated to exceed US$ 2.9 billion[2].
The most significant risk factor of glaucoma is the elevation of the intraocular pressure (IOP)[3], caused by a buildup of aqueous humor inside the eye. Aqueous humor is the circulating fluid within the anterior chamber of the eye, which is secreted by the ciliary body and drained through the trabecular meshwork. However, if there is an imbalance between the rate of secretion and drainage, the aqueous humor will build up and increase IOP. The increase in IOP will damage the optic nerves, leading to irreversible blindness.
Approaches
Eye kNOw
Despite the various types of glaucoma, including Open-Angle Glaucoma, Closed-Angle Glaucoma, or Normal-Tension Glaucoma, reducing intraocular pressure is the only proven method to treat the disease. Therefore, controlling the inflow and outflow of aqueous humor from the ciliary body into the trabecular meshwork is a rational strategy to lower the IOP. One of the most common treatments for glaucoma is eye drops, which contain beta-blockers or nitric oxide prodrugs to reduce the patient's intraocular pressure. However, as we do not know when our intraocular pressure will spike, we are unable to apply eye drops effectively, thus reducing the drug’s efficacy. Therefore, this year, iGEM NCKU Tainan proposes a synthetic biology approach to provide a more effective treatment for glaucoma.
Eye kNOw is a pair of contact lenses that is able to structurally change in response to the fluctuations in IOP. Inside the contact lens is our engineered bacteria, E. coli WM3064, to induce the production of nitric oxide in response to conformational changes of our contact lens.
Eye Screen
Glaucoma is considered a difficult disease to treat due to the absence of early signs or symptoms. Without early warnings, people are unaware of its presence and slowly, but silently lose their vision - earning glaucoma the moniker “the silent killer of vision.” Thus, having accessible and accurate diagnostic methods is vital in dealing with glaucoma. In order to address glaucoma comprehensively, besides providing a more effective treatment, improving diagnostic methods is also needed.
Thus we designed Eye Screen - an affordable and portable detection device that uses ultrasound to improve patient’s experience.
Inspiration
Our sense of vision plays a significant role in our daily life. According to research, the visual senses process 80% information at the same time as compared to our other senses[4]. Yet, in this modern society, extensive use of electronic devices has become a common phenomenon. Not only does it place severe strain on our eyes, but also increases the risk of ocular diseases[5], including glaucoma, myopia, astigmatism, etc. In particular, glaucoma is ranked as the leading cause of irreversible blindness globally. Since there are no early signs or symptoms, it is hard to detect the disease in its earlier stages. This leads to patients being diagnosed only when their vision has deteriorated to the point of no return. Not only that, current treatments do not show satisfying results due to its low efficacy.
Therefore, iGEM NCKU Tainan 2020 aims to provide a comprehensive solution for glaucoma treatment.
References
- Varma R, Lee PP, Goldberg I, Kotak S. An Assessment of the Health and Economic Burdens of Glaucoma. American Journal of Ophthalmology. 2011;152(4):515-522.
- Rein DB. The Economic Burden of Major Adult Visual Disorders in the United States. Archives of Ophthalmology. 2006;124(12):1754.
- Weinreb RN, Aung T, Medeiros FA. The Pathophysiology and Treatment of Glaucoma. JAMA. 2014;311(18):1901.
- Hurt J. Your Senses Are Your Raw Information Learning Portals. 2012; Retrieved from https://velvetchainsaw.com/2012/05/23/your-senses-your-raw-information-learning-portals/
- Ha A, Kim YK, Park YJ, Jeoung JW, Park KH. Intraocular pressure change during reading or writing on smartphone. Bhattacharya S, ed. PLOS ONE. 2018;13(10):e0206061.
