ProteinKnox

Fogging, due to water condensation, results in loss of optical transparency. The liquid-air interfaces from condensation on implanted intra-ocular lenses (IOL) during vitro-retinal and secondary cataract surgery create conditions that can lead to fogging within 5 seconds, especially on hydrophobic IOL's either made of silicone or hydrophobic acrylic. The fogging of IOL's blocks the surgeon's vision and impedes retinal repair thus leading to blindness. There are currently no effective products to defog implanted IOL's besides wiping the surface every few seconds, making surgery impossible. Researchers at Arizona State University, led by engineer and physicist Nicole Herbots, and her colleagues have developed novel biodegradable bi-layer molecular films, and compositions, to control condensation, blood and tissue accumulation on IOL's and medical implants. The compositions and thicknesses were originally developed to eliminate fogging in vivo on IOLs during secondary eye surgery. It has since been used on surgical implants as it controls not only wetting, but blood, and other fluids, tissue debris, and scar formation on stents. The top layer is a polarizable and/or electrically conductive viscoelastic emulsion composite, and the bottom is a polarizable and/or electrically conductive adhesion layer. The combination enables uniform adhesion and wetting of the surface and prevents water condensation or blood coagulation or tissue accumulation or excessive scarring from forming on the surface for an extended duration of time that can be designed to specifications for a given implant. These compositions, with their long lasting and biocompatible properties represent a unique and flexible solution for blood and tissue accumulation and fogging of IOLs, endoscopes and other implanted medical device in vivo, enabling optical clarity, eliminating blood accumulation and controlling scarring for ultimately safer and more successful surgical procedures and implants. Potential Applications Prevent condensation/fogging, blood, tissue debris on implanted medical devices Intraocular implants Endoscopes Prevents clot formation, excessive scarring, tissue accumulation Stents Grafts Medical implants Benefits and Advantages Increased clarity, including clearing blood and tissue Prevents fogging for extended durations of time on IOL's No need to interrupt surgical procedures for de-fogging Eliminates blood blocking view on lenses Decrease "Valley of Death" due to stenosis in stents after bypass surgery Can be created entirely from FDA approved materials Download Orginal PDF