26 May 2023
Scientists have explored how artificial intelligence (AI) models can be used to improve ocular drug delivery systems for diseases such as glaucoma.
Writing in Nature Communications, researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine highlighted that for many eye diseases, the need for frequent eye injections or regular eye drop doses poses a barrier to effective disease management.
The scientists used AI to guide the engineering of multifunctional peptides that act as a “sustained-release depot” within the eye.
Professor Laura Ensign shared that the AI model was fed thousands of data points regarding the characteristics of amino acids and peptide sequences.
The model learned to predict which peptide sequences were the best candidates for ocular drug delivery.
“We believe we are well on the way to finding solutions in trying to improve patient care and quality of life using drug delivery systems. The ultimate goal is creating something that we can translate out of the lab and actually make people’s lives better,” Ensign highlighted.
As part of the research, a multifunctional peptide was bound to an intraocular pressure lowering drug and injected into the eyes of rabbits.
A reduction in intraocular pressure was observed for 18 days following the single injection.
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