Kala Looking to Fund Expansion into Drug Delivery System Using Mucous Penetrating Particles

"Drugs that must pass through protective layers of mucus to deliver treatment to organs of the body are often not very effective, because the mucus—a sticky, meshlike material—prevents the drug from ever reaching its intended target," according to a Johns Hopkins University Ventures newsletter.

"But hope is on the horizon in the form of a novel drug delivery system developed over the past 15 years by a research team led by Justin Hanes, director of the Center for Nanomedicine at the Wilmer Eye Institute at Johns Hopkins.

"Hanes’s system packages drugs into nanoparticles small enough to penetrate a mucus layer through tiny openings in the sticky mesh, and it gives those nanoparticles a minimally adhesive coating that enables them to slide through the mesh without getting stuck to it. Kala Pharmaceuticals, a startup co-founded by Hanes, is developing these coated nanoparticles."

In another release about the development: "Biopharmaceutical firm Kala Pharmaceuticals is focused on developing treatments for eye conditions and diseases using its proprietary mucous penetrating particles technologies," according to Don Dion, of SA Stock Market News. "The company completed very promising Phase III clinical trials for delivering drugs to relieve pain and inflammation following ocular surgery. So far, it has applied MPP technology in two product candidates (KPI-121 1.0% and KPI-121 0.25%), both of which are in Phase III clinical development. It anticipates submitting new drug applications for KPI-121 1.0% and KPI-121 0.25% by the end of 2017 and the first half of 2018, respectively. Kala Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2009 and is based in Waltham, Mass." For more information go to these sites: SA Stock Market News and Johns Hopkins University Ventures Program.

Optical Researcher David Robinson Dies

"David A. Robinson, a founding member of Johns Hopkins University's Department of Biomedical Engineering and distinguished service professor emeritus of ophthalmology, biomedical engineering, and neuroscience, died on Oct. 18. He was 92," according to a memoriam from Johns Hopkins University.

David A. Robinson, a founding member of the Johns
Hopkins University Department of Biomedical Engineering

 

"Robinson, who retired in 1993, studied electrical engineering at Johns Hopkins and received his master's and PhD degrees in 1956 and 1959, respectively. He joined the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine faculty as an instructor in 1961 and was named an assistant professor of biomedical engineering in 1966. In 1965, Robinson published a groundbreaking paper in the Journal of Physiology that is still considered to be the most comprehensive and thorough investigation of the mechanics of eye movements. 
 Robinson, named a full professor in the Department of Ophthalmology in 1975, developed a magnetic field search coil technique that remains today as the standard for recording eye movements in both basic and clinical eye movement laboratories. 
He was the first researcher to simultaneously record eye movements and activity of ocular motor neurons from fully alert behaving primates. The results produced the mathematical relationship known as the pulse-step of innervation."

Sight Regions of Brain Learn to Respond to Sound, Says Study

"By early childhood, the sight regions of a blind person's brain respond to sound, especially spoken language, a Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist has found," according to Science Digest. "The results, published this week in The Journal of Neuroscience, suggest that a young, developing brain has a striking capacity for functional adaptation." Read more.

Detecting Glaucoma with an iPad App

"Using a tablet screening app could prove to be an effective method to aid in the effort to reduce the incidence of avoidable blindness in populations at high-risk for glaucoma with limited access to health care, according to a study released today at AAO 2014, the 118th annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology," reports Medical News Today. "In this study, researchers from the University of Iowa, the University of Maryland, Johns Hopkins University, the University of Michigan and the Tilganga Eye Institute in Nepal used a free peripheral vision assessment app to screen approximately 200 patients in Nepal for glaucoma using an iPad. The results show promise for screening populations that have limited or no access to traditional eye care and certain ethnic groups that have a high risk of developing the disease." Read more.

Quick Decisions Based on Speed of Eye Movement

"One of the most frustrating things about shopping in a grocery store can be the long lines at the cash register. Do you stand there and wait for the line to go down? Or do you join another line that looks quicker? According to new research, decisions such as this may be dependent on the speed of our eye movements," notes Medical News Today. "In a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland found that people who are less patient are more likely to have faster eye movements. The investigators say their findings may provide insight into why abnormalities in certain areas of the brain make decision making more challenging for people who have suffered brain injuries or who have neurological disorders, such as schizophrenia." Read more.