Overview

Protect your precious vision, for the eye is your window, showing the world the wonders of perfection. Our eyes are one of our most important senses, they open up vast horizons for us to appreciate this beautiful world.

Imagine that without eyes, we would not be able to enjoy the magnificence of nature, appreciate the wonderful details of art, or make eye contact with friends and family. Our eyes not only allow us to see things around us, but also help us identify colors, shapes, and distances, enabling us to make the right decisions.

However, we often take for granted how precious our eyesight is. We are exposed to a wide variety of environments, such as radiation from electronic screens, strong sunlight, dust and pollutants, which all pose potential threats to our visual health. It also makes the incidence of eye diseases increase year by year in recent years.

Innovation in the treatment of eye diseases is vital to human life, as our vision is one of the ways we are most connected to the world around us. By continuing to advance scientific research in the field of ophthalmology, we can hope to find better treatments, provide better eye care services, and bring better visual health to people so that they can better enjoy the beautiful world.

Among the many eye diseases, myopia is the most common and brings the most trouble to people. iGEM HiZJU-China decided to contribute to the treatment of myopia. The occurrence of myopia is often inseparable from the visual fatigue brought by excessive eye use. In this regard, iGEM HiZJU-China 2023 designed a contact lens that can sense increased eye pressure and automatically release salidroside to relieve visual fatigue, timely protecting every window of the mind.

Feasibility study

In our view, "Biolens" is more than just a concept. We are not only looking to the future of everyday myopia treatment, but also working to make it a reality. We have made a number of important efforts for the feasibility study of Biolens.

We consulted an ophthalmologist to gain a deeper understanding of the factors that cause myopia and the pathogenesis of myopia, which laid a theoretical foundation for our project.

We came to know the role of antihypoxic drug salidroside in alleviating scleral hypoxia, so we expected to use synthetic biological methods to solve it. To this end, we consulted Lian Jianchang, Bao Zehua, Yu Haoran and Ye Lidan, four synthetic biology scholars from the School of Chemical Engineering and Biological Engineering of Zhejiang University, who are also our tutors. They have rich experience in the construction of Escherichia coli chassis bacteria and metabolic pathway modification.

In terms of biosafety, we consulted membrane technology expert Yao Zhikan, Researcher, and controlled drug release expert Associate Professor Zhou Zhuxian, who suggested that we use a phospholipid membrane embedded with salidroside transporter protein as the shell, encase the bacterial solution, and encapsulate it between the two membranes of the contact lens. In this way, the shipment of salidroside can be strictly controlled, while the bacterial solution and its metabolic waste will not be leaked. This is a great inspiration! For this purpose, we added a module of liposome vesicle experiment.

Market survey

We conducted a social survey on the topic of "myopia and related device use and experience", which involved the eye use and eye care habits of the myopia group, the conventional treatment options for myopia, and the acceptability and concerns of people for our microbial contact lenses. Here, we get a better understanding of the market for Biolens products and the concerns people have about our contact lenses. In addition, we also understand the market conditions of similar competitive products to better explore the advantages of Biolens.

We visited one synthetic biology company, Youkang Biology. There, they shared with us their experience on how to promote and sell products containing engineered bacteria to the public and how to convince the public of the safety of our products. This helps us to market better.

Policies and regulations study

Contact lenses belong to the third category of medical devices in China, which is the highest level of medical devices, so they will be strictly regulated by the government when they are approved for production, circulation and listing. We are very concerned about the safety of Biolens, so we have consulted the Medical Device Supervision and Management Office of the Zhejiang Provincial Drug Administration. There, we learned in detail the entire process of getting a medical device approved for market. Compliance reviews to ensure product quality and safety are important, including technical reviews, quality control, production processes, etc. Although our project is still in the conceptual design stage, we have designed it to ensure maximum safety.

Future prospects of myopia treatment

Nearsightedness, or myopia, is a common eye problem that affects people’s vision globally. According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), over 200 million people are impacted by blindness and visual impairments, leading to increased concern for vision health. Several treatment methods and technologies have been researched and developed for myopia. Despite the vulnerability of the eye as an organ, scientists have been actively seeking effective treatment methods. For instance, ophthalmologists and researchers are dedicated to the development of improved myopia treatments such as corneal reshaping techniques, glasses, and contact lenses. In recent years, there have also been studies on drug-based treatment methods, though they are still in the experimental stage.

However, the prospects for eye treatments require further research and effort. The complexity of the eye presents various challenges in developing new treatment methods. Rigorous testing and evaluation are necessary to ensure the safety and efficacy of treatment methods. Additionally, concerns regarding the reliability and side effects of treatment methods need to be addressed among the general public.

To drive progress in eye treatments, scientists and medical experts need to continue their research and exploration of new treatment methods. They can also promote cooperation and knowledge exchange among different teams by sharing research data and insights. Meanwhile, raising public awareness of eye health is crucial for early detection of eye problems and timely treatment.

In summary, despite the numerous challenges, we remain confident about the future of eye treatments. Ongoing efforts by scientists will continue to propel the development of eye treatments, providing improved vision health services for individuals and enabling them to fully enjoy their “right to sight.” Through sustained collaboration and innovation, we can surpass current limitations, leading to more breakthroughs and advancements in treating myopia and other eye issues.