20/20: NSERC Ophthalmic Materials Network will perform fundamental science and engineering research that will enable our private sector partners to develop innovative products for alleviating a critical global health issue – vision loss. The research has the potential to touch the lives of Canadians of all ages, from young children who must undergo repeated procedures for treating the cataracts that inevitably form when intraocular lenses are implanted in pediatric patients to the elderly who are suffering from age related macular degeneration and who must currently undergo monthly injections into the back of the eye. In the developing world, inexpensive and innovative solutions to vision problems are also critically needed.
The Network's research is organized within two Themes: Materials and Drug Delivery. Bioactivity and biocompatibility model development and testing is another research thrust and spans both Themes. Through improvement of the understanding of fundamental structure:property relationships, 20/20 will efficiently develop promising materials and drug delivery devices for anterior and posterior segment ophthalmic applications.
Research