Phosphorylcholine Contact Lens Ionic Agent Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ocular drug delivery devices are limited in the types of beneficial agents they can administer and involve complex manufacturing methods not suitable for large-scale operations.
Innovation Solution
Contact lenses made of a silicone hydrogel copolymer with integral phosphorylcholine groups and an electrostatically bound ionic agent, such as polyionic or guanidinium-containing agents, which can release upon wear, are manufactured using a method involving polymerization of a monomer mixture with 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine and immersion in a packaging solution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If conventional contact lens materials are used to deliver beneficial agents, then the device structure is simple, but the type of beneficial agent that can be administered is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the chemical parameter of the contact lens material by incorporating phosphorylcholine groups into the hydrogel polymer structure. This specific chemical modification enables the material to electrostatically bind polyionic and guanidinium-containing beneficial agents, thereby expanding the type of agents that can be administered without fundamentally changing the overall contact lens device structure.
2Reliability
If complex manufacturing methods are used for ocular delivery devices, then the device performance can be improved, but the manufacturing process is not amenable to large-scale operations
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing method utilizes parameter changes by controlling the polymerization conditions of monomer mixtures containing phosphorylcholine groups. By adjusting polymerization temperature, initiator concentration, and monomer ratios, the process achieves reliable device performance while maintaining simplicity suitable for large-scale automated manufacturing operations.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The contact lenses effectively deliver ionic agents to ocular tissue with sustained release properties, increasing the range of applicable beneficial agents and simplifying manufacturing processes for large-scale production.
Implementation Method 1
an ionic agent that is electrostatically bound to the phosphorylcholine groups
Data Source
AI summary
Contact lenses comprising phosphorylcholine groups release beneficial polyionic or guanidinium-containing agents.