title: An arched micro-injector (ARCMI) for innocuous subretinal injection.
abstract: Several critical ocular diseases that can lead to blindness are due to retinal disorders. Subretinal drug delivery has been developed recently for the treatment of retinal disorders such as hemorrhage because of the specific ocular structure, namely, the blood retinal barrier (BRB). In the present study, we developed an Arched Micro-injector (ARCMI) for subretinal drug delivery with minimal retinal tissue damage. ARCMIs were fabricated using three major techniques: reverse drawing lithography, controlled air flow, and electroplating. In order to achieve minimal retinal tissue damage, ARCMIs were fabricated with specific features such as a 0.15 mm(-1) curvature, 45° tip bevel, 5 mm length, inner diameter of 40 µm, and an outer diameter of 100 µm. These specific features were optimized via in-vitro experiments in artificial ocular hemispherical structures and subretinal injection of indocyanine green in porcine eye ex-vivo. We confirmed that the ARCMI was capable of delivering ocular drugs by subretinal injection without unusual subretinal tissue damage, including hemorrhage.
authors.affiliation: Nune Eye Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yong Sung
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: You
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chang Yeol
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Chengguo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Lumieye Genetics Co. Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Lumieye Genetics Co. Ltd., Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kibom
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Hyungil
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D032701:Biomimetics; D002829:Choroid / Q000166:cytology; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008845:Microinjections / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D012160:Retina / Q000166:cytology; D013552:Swine
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