Exclusive interview with conference speaker Che Connon released ahead of SMi’s Ophthalmic Drugs Conference

SMi has released an exclusive interview with industry expert Che Connon, Professor of Tissue Engineering at Newcastle University, ahead of the upcoming Ophthalmic Drugs conference which takes place in London on 19th-20th November 2019.

As Europe’s leading Ophthalmic Drugs conference, this year’s event will explore new discoveries in the treatment of ocular rare disease, innovations in gene therapy, the challenges in drug delivery through a complex barrier, patient comfort, and regulatory compliance which make up such core components within the Ophthalmic Drug domain.

Professor Connon’s research team seeks to engineer functional replacement and temporary 'bridge' tissues using a modular approach while also developing model systems to study physiological and pathophysiological corneal tissue formation. He is currently working with smart (cell responsive) biomaterials, characterizing the mechanical and geometric environment of the corneal stem cell niche and 3D printing the corneal stroma.

Here is a snapshot of what was discussed:

The ophthalmic drugs market has matured greatly over recent years, what are the key significant developments you have noticed over the past year?
“Significant developments I have noticed include self-therapy for the cornea. The advances in cell therapy for corneal limbal stem cell treatment have been particularly significant with the fact that it has authorisation and is pushing ahead.”

What do you personally see as the greatest challenge to overcome in the field of Ophthalmic Drugs at the moment?
“My interest is in cell therapy - cellular drugs, cells as a drug and how do you list significant challenges in and around the logistics of moving that product around. Also, in the future how do you make enough cells to address all the predicted needs and patients.”

The full version of the interview and event brochure are available to download online at:
www.ophthalmicdrugs.com/openPR9

Che Connon will be presenting on “Biomechanical modulation therapy: A druggable alternative to corneal stem cell transplantation.”
• Chemical burns to the ocular surface affect tissue stiffness
• The corneal stem cell niche has specific biomechanical requirements to retain stem cells
• Restoring the correct biomechanical state of the corneal stem cell niche following wounding improve healing
• Biomechanical modulation therapy is a new treatment paradigm for corneal epithelial wounds

Ophthalmic Drugs 2019
Main Conference: 19th – 20th November 2019
Pre-Conference Focus Day: 18th November 2019
Location: Copthorne Tara Hotel, London, UK

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This release was published on openPR.