Eyeworld

MAY 2012

EyeWorld is the official news magazine of the American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery.

Issue link: https://digital.eyeworld.org/i/78710

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Entering into the post-antibiotic era EW FEATURE May 2012 Perioperative pharmacology February 2011 by Faith A. Hayden EyeWorld Staff Writer Are aganocides the key? C ould medicine soon be en- tering a post-antibiotic era? Ron Najafi, Ph.D., chairman and CEO, NovaBay Pharma- ceuticals (Emeryville, Calif.), believes it could be, and with good reason. Since 2003, NovaBay has been hard at work developing aganocide com- pounds, a synthetic class of non-an- tibiotic antimicrobials that mimic our own natural defense against infection without the burden of creating resistance. Aganocides harness chlorotau- rine compounds, which are pro- duced by white blood cells as they capture bacteria trying to invade the body. "There's no resistance that's been developed for chlorotaurines, and what [Dr. Najafi] and the crew at NovaBay have done is put that in a bottle," said Stephen Wilmarth, M.D., a member of NovaBay's Oph- thalmology Advisory Committee. "It's good for surfaces and cavities, but you're not going to take it by mouth, and you're not going to inject it. It's highly reactive. It kills every bacteria we've ever tested." That includes all gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria and the dreaded methicillin-resistant Staphy- lococcus aureus. "It kills every virus we've tested on contact, and at higher concentrations it kills the fungi," Dr. Wilmarth added. Aganocides may one day be used for a variety of dermatologic, ophthalmic, and urologic surface infections such as impetigo and uri- nary catheter blockage and. In oph- thalmology, NovaBay is targeting viral conjunctivitis caused by aden- ovirus such as epidemic keratocon- junctivitis (EKC) in particular. "This is an unmet medical need," said David Stroman, Ph.D., senior vice president of ophthalmol- ogy, NovaBay. "There is no approved therapy to treat adenoconjunctivitis. Viral conjunctivitis is responsible for epidemic outbreaks every few months [elsewhere] in the world." Using aganocides for EKC specif- ically would be a godsend for many developing countries struggling with widespread epidemics. Whether you're just beginning or experienced in cataract and refractive surgery, ASCRS is the professional society that's right for every stage of your career. Mentors and Innovators As an experienced anterior segment ophthalmologist, you've come to understand the importance of innovation and collaboration. It's through collaboration that ophthalmology improves and expands—at times in great leaps and at times through subtle change. Through its many educational and networking services, ASCRS provides an effective forum for the debate of new ideas and the incremental improvement of technique and outcomes. ASCRS offers the means and the unrestricted opportunity to advance the profession and yourself. Join ASCRS today! The Society for Surgeons AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CATARACT AND REFRACTIVE SURGERY 4000 Legato Road, Suite 700, Fairfax, VA 22033 • 703-591-2220 • www.ASCRS.org "If you talk to our consultants in India and Brazil, they talk about 60,000-100,000 people coming into the hospitals as an epidemic hap- pening a few times a year in major metropolitan areas," said Dr. Wilmarth. "There is a significant number of people left with corneal scarring, light sensitivity, dry eyes, and so forth. EKC in America isn't necessarily a hot topic item, but as soon as you get out of this country and into developing countries, you realize EKC is a major issue." continued on page 43 41 An ASCRS Membership For every stage of your career

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