Ocular Delivery of Biopharmaceuticals

Abstract

There is a great need for novel ophthalmic biopharmaceutical drug delivery systems to treat the many ocular diseases or conditions that millions suffer from daily. However, ocular pharmaceutical delivery is faced with many barriers including ocular anatomical, biopharmaceutical driven, and patient driven challenges which can hinder the success of many ocular delivery devices. Topical delivery still remains the most popular due to its ease of use and non-invasive nature. One of the most promising types of ocular topical drug and biopharmaceutical delivery incorporates a mucoadhesive substance which interacts with the ocular mucosal surface to allow for greater biopharmaceutical adherence, penetration, and action to treat numerous ocular conditions. The use of these mucoadhesive substances can be incorporated into many delivery systems (e.g., liposomes, nanoparticles, gels), with a wide range of biopharmaceuticals (e.g., proteins, peptides, gene therapies, siRNA, oligonucleotides), to treat many sight-threatening disorders (e.g., glaucoma, ocular infection, corneal neovascularization). Ocular mucoadhesive biopharmaceutical delivery is currently in its infancy, however, there is great potential that this technology will be able to help treat millions in the future.