Professor Chong Xie and his collaborator, Dr. Ying Han, an ophthalmologist from University of California San Francisco (UCSF), have received funds from a UCSF Catalyst Award and That Man May See. The awards will provide seed funding for Xie and Han to develop an improved glaucoma implant device.
Chong Xie
Professor Chong Xie and his collaborator, Dr. Ying Han, an ophthalmologist from University of California San Francisco (UCSF), have received funds from a UCSF Catalyst Award and That Man May See. The awards will provide seed funding for Xie and Han to develop an improved glaucoma implant device.
Glaucoma is a leading cause of irreversible blindness and affects nearly 2.7 million Americans aged 40 and older. Glaucoma occurs when excessive eye pressure damages the optic nerve. Current treatment includes implanting a device to lower eye pressure. But according to Xie, after a period of years, current implants cause scar tissue to grow, eventually leading to implant failure.
Ying Han
Xie and his team are developing a glaucoma implant device that would prevent scar tissue from forming. Dr. Han is handling testing of the device, and she has seen positive results thus far in small animals.
The seed funding will allow Xie and Han to gather more data in order to pursue further funding.
