North Staffordshire researchers explore safer Glaucoma Treatment
Researchers in North Staffordshire used funding from the North Staffordshire Medical Institute to investigate ways of making glaucoma surgery safer and more effective for patients.
A research team based at Keele University’s Institute for Science and Technology in Medicine received a £10,000 grant to study ways of improving the success of trabeculectomy, a surgical procedure commonly used to treat glaucoma.
The research was led by tissue engineer Professor Ying Yang and focused on reducing the risk of scarring following surgery.
Improving Trabeculectomy outcomes
Glaucoma can develop when increased pressure inside the eye damages the optic nerve, potentially resulting in permanent sight loss.
A trabeculectomy aims to reduce this pressure by creating a small opening in the wall of the eye, allowing excess fluid to drain away.
One of the challenges with the procedure is the body’s natural healing response. Scar tissue can develop around the newly created drainage channel, causing it to close and potentially reducing the effectiveness of the surgery.
At the time of the research, it was estimated that up to 30% of trabeculectomy procedures could fail because of the body’s healing response.
Professor Yang and her team therefore investigated ways of controlling inflammation and scar formation while protecting the healthy cells surrounding the surgical site.
Creating human eye tissue in the laboratory
An important part of the project involved using conjunctival cells to create a laboratory model designed to mimic human eye tissue.
This gave researchers the opportunity to study wound healing in controlled conditions without relying solely on animal models.
Artificial wounds could be created within the laboratory tissue and exposed to different treatments, growth factors and drug concentrations.
Researchers were then able to examine how the cells responded and identify approaches that could potentially reduce inflammation and unwanted scar formation.
The work offered a way of predicting more accurately how tissue within a patient’s eye might respond following glaucoma surgery.
Exploring new Glaucoma Treatments
The team also investigated the XEN gel stent, a small medical device designed to help fluid drain from the eye.
The procedure involves inserting a tiny gelatin tube to create a drainage pathway and reduce pressure within the eye.
By studying both established surgical approaches and emerging treatments, the researchers aimed to build a better understanding of how the healing process affects glaucoma procedures and how treatment outcomes might be improved.
Research funding as a starting point
The original £10,000 award was made in 2014 through the North Staffordshire Medical Institute’s research grant programme.
Professor Yang described the funding as a valuable starting point that enabled the team to establish proof of concept and develop evidence that could support applications for larger research studies.
This type of early-stage funding can play an important role in medical research, allowing researchers to test ideas, generate initial findings and build collaborations before seeking larger grants.
The project demonstrated the importance of supporting innovative local research and the potential for relatively modest grants to help establish work that could ultimately contribute to improvements in patient care.
Supporting medical and healthcare research has long been an important part of the work associated with the Wade Charitable Foundation and North Staffordshire Medical Institute, helping researchers develop new ideas and investigate ways of improving treatments for patients.