BME Seminar Series: Dr. Jennifer Kang-Mieler, Illinois Institute of Technology

Jennifer J. Kang-Mieler, PhD, FARVO
Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
Pritzker Institute of Biomedical Science and Engineering
Illinois Institute of Technology

Abstract:

"Sustained Treatment with Anti-VEGF agents for Retinal diseases -Drug Delivery System (STAR-DDS)"

Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) has been identified as a key regulator of angiogenesis both acting as an endothelial cell mitogen and increasing vascular permeability. Elevated VEGF concentrations have been correlated with multiple ocular diseases including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) with choroidal neovascularization (CNV) and diabetic retinopathy (DR). Landmark clinical studies demonstrated that anti-VEGF agent therapy (ranibizumab or aflibercept) was remarkably efficacious for AMD with CNV and DR; these drugs are now the gold standard treatment for these diseases. However, a major limitation for these treatments is that repeated dosing is required every four to six weeks. Frequent dosing is undesirable for a variety of reasons including: decrease patient comfort, increased likelihood of complications (e.g. endophthalmitis, retinal tears and detachment, intraocular hemorrhage, and cataract formation), and bolus administration of the agent. The repetitive treatment burden on the patients, family members, and clinicians is substantial. Consequently, there is a great need to develop a more effective, long-lasting, relatively non-invasive delivery method for anti-VEGF agents. My laboratory have created a Sustained Treatment with Anti-VEGF agents for Retinal diseases -Drug Delivery System (STAR-DDS) which utilizes biodegradable drug loaded-microspheres embedded into a biodegradable thermo-responsive hydrogel. The advantages of STAR-DDS are numerous and include easy injection into the vitreous via a small gauge needle.  We have demonstrated that both ranibizumab and aflibercept can be released in a controlled manner for ~6 months.  To our knowledge, STAR-DDS is the first system to demonstrate a sustained release of anti-VEGF for 6 months.  This presentation will discuss the STAR-DDS and safety and efficacy of STAR-DDS.

Bio:

Dr. Kang-Mieler is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA. She received her BA in Mathematics, MS in Applied Mathematics, and PhD in Biomedical Engineering from the Northwestern University. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences. Dr. Kang-Mieler’s translational research interests include ocular drug delivery, retinal imaging, retinal blood flow, and electrophysiology. Dr. Kang-Mieler is an active member of the Macula Society, the Retina Society, the American Society of Retina Specialists (ASRS), Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology (ARVO), the Biomedical Engineering Society, Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology (APAO), and the Dowling Society. She served on the ARVO Board of Trustees, representing the Retina section. She is the Past Vice President of ARVO.