Jamal Can See Again, Thanks to New Synthetic Cornea

AHA Publisher — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 08:00:41 +0000

Abigail Klein Leichman via Israel21c – Jamal Furani from Haifa wasn’t able to see his new grandchild until January 3, when he became the first patient to receive the KPro artificial cornea from CorNeat Vision in Ra’anana. The 78-year-old Arab Israeli gradually lost most of his vision over the past decades due to corneal disease. He had four donor transplants to try to restore his vision, but all failed. Dr. Irit Bahar, chief of ophthalmology at Beilinson Hospital of Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva, explained that each successive surgery has less chance of success. The synthetic cornea changed all that. The day after the KPro was introduced on January 3, Bahar said she was shocked at how well Furani was able to read a vision chart and to recognize family members. “The moment we took off the bandages was an emotional and significant moment. Moments like these are the fulfillment of our calling as doctors,” she said. As for Furani, he said to the doctors, “As much as you are happy, I am even happier. It’s my treasure” to be able to see. “The innovation here stems from the ability to take something totally synthetic that has no cells or tissue and implant it in the wall of the eye so that it essentially becomes part of the body,” CorNeat cofounder Dr. Gilad Litvin, inventor of the KPro, told Channel 13 news. Only last July, the first in-human trials of the CorNeat synthetic cornea were approved at Beilinson, as ISRAEL21c reported. Almog Aley-Raz, CorNeat Vision’s cofounder, CEO & VP R&D, said: “The CorNeat KPro’s first-in-human implantation is just the first step in a multinational clinical trial, geared toward attaining CE Mark, FDA clearance and China NMPA approval. “A total of 10 patients are approved for the trial at Rabin Medical Center in Israel with two additional sites planned to open this January in Canada and six others at different stages in the approval process in France, the US, and the Netherlands. “Our first trial includes blind patients who are not suitable candidates for — or have failed one or more — corneal transplantations. Given the exceptional visual performance of our device, the expected healing time and retention, and the fact that it cannot carry disease, we plan to initiate a second study later this year with broader indications to approve our artificial cornea as a first line treatment, displacing the use of donor tissue used in full thickness corneal transplantations.” To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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First In-Human Trial of Synthetic Cornea Starts in Israel

AHA Publisher — Fri, 24 Jul 2020 07:00:04 +0000

Israel21c Staff via Israel21c – The first-in-human implantation of the revolutionary CorNeat KPro synthetic cornea has been approved for 10 corneally blind patients at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva. CorNeat KPro was developed by CorNeat Vision of Ra’anana. The implant is designed to replace deformed, scarred or opacified corneas and is expected to fully rehabilitate the vision of corneally blind patients immediately following implantation. The device’s lens, which provides optical quality equivalent to a perfect cornea, integrates with the patient’s ocular tissue using a unique patented nano-fabric skirt placed under the conjunctiva. “Following rigorous preclinical testing and successful animal trials, we feel confident moving on and proving our device’s safety and efficacy in humans,” said Dr. Gilad Litvin, CorNeat chief medical officer and the KPro’s inventor. “Our device’s implantation procedure, which has been developed and perfected in the past four years, does not rely on donor tissue, is relatively simple and takes less than an hour to perform. We expect it will enable millions of blind patients around the world, even in areas where there is no corneal practice nor culture of organ donation, to regain their sight.” The clinical trial at Beilinson will be led by Dr. Irit Bahar, chief of ophthalmology. Test patients will be people who are not candidates for, or have failed one or more corneal transplantations. “The technology behind this implant, which enables to permanently and bio-mechanically attach synthetic materials to live human tissue, is key in turning the tide on global corneal blindness,” said Bahar. Additional trial sites are planned to open later this year in eight hospitals in Canada, the United States, France, China and the Netherlands. “CorNeat Vision’s implant is poised to revolutionize corneal transplantation,” said Canadian ophthalmologist Dr. David Rootman. “This new solution is completely synthetic and does not rely on donor tissue, which can carry a virus or any other disease – a key differentiator during this COVID-19 crisis, which greatly impacted the availability of corneal tissue.” To read the original article click here. For more articles from Israel21c click here.

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Jamal Can See Again, Thanks to New Synthetic Cornea

First In-Human Trial of Synthetic Cornea Starts in Israel