Summary: 
The National Eye Institute seeks research co-development partners and/or licensees for novel methods of cryopreserving cells, tissues, and organs via FOXO1 activation and other mechanisms.

Description of Technology: 
The cornea is a critical part of the eye that helps prevent debris from entering and refracts light for proper vision. Corneal disorders such as keratoconus, Fuchs dystrophy, and infectious keratitis require corneal transplantation to restore vision. Approximately 185,000 corneal transplants are performed annually worldwide to treat corneal disorders. Corneas for those transplants are supplied by donor eyes that are stored at eye banks in select countries. 

Currently, Optisol-GS™ is the corneal preservation solution that is most widely used to store donated corneas at eye banks. Per National Eye Institute (NEI) guidelines, corneas preserved in Optisol-GS™ have a 12-day shelf life. With the high demand for corneal transplantations worldwide, a 12-day shelf life cannot meet the requirement for long term cryogenic storage of corneas at large eye banks. 

Scientists at the NEI have developed improved methods for cryopreservation of cells, tissues, and organs (with focus of corneal tissue/cells) that increases cold storage shelf life 2.5 times longer than current market products.

Potential Commercial Applications: 

•    Corneal biobanks
•    Transplantation to remedy a wide range of corneal disorders
•    Improved method of cryopreserving corneal cells and other cell types

Competitive Advantages:

•    Superior corneal shelf life: 16-day compared to 12-day maximum shelf-life of current market products 
•    Better meets requirement for larger eye bank cryopreservation
•    95% endothelial cell survival after 4 weeks in cold storage