Eyeworld

EW NEWS & OPINION June 2015 21 by Matt Young and Gloria D. Gamat EyeWorld Contributing Writers In ophthalmology, Bose has a wide array of research solutions that include eye biomechanics and tissue characterization, medical device characterization, eye lubrication effects, and perfusion bioreactors. Further applications in eye research Tannin Schmidt, PhD, PEng, as- sociate professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, is using the Bose 3200 instrument fitted with the rotational actuator, as well as low-resolution torque and load cells, in his research lab and in the Zymetrix-Bose Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering Development Centre. "We developed a custom in vitro human ocular surface friction test to assess the lubricity of com- mercial contact lenses, contact lens biomaterials, and lubricant mole- cules of interest," Dr. Schmidt said. "Specifically, we can measure low levels of friction between vari- ous biointerfaces of interest: human eyelid-cornea, eyelid-contact lens (or biomaterial), or cornea-contact lens (or biomaterial)," he said. Recently in the Tear Film and Ocular Surface Society's internation- al report on contact lens discom- fort, friction of lenses was the one parameter that correlated with in vivo lens comfort for patients. This is one specific area of ophthalmolog- ic research where the use of the Bose 3200 instrument is applicable. "There is a great interest currently—both in academia and industry—in developing more lubri- cious contact lenses and contact lens materials that will hopefully lead to more comfortable and longer con- tact lens wear," Dr. Schmidt said. For researchers like Dr. Schmidt, Bose instruments provide the plat- form to develop novel in vitro tests that are critical to research, both in basic and translational ways. Accord- ing to Dr. Schmidt, these tests have contributed to the development and characterization of new contact lens materials as well as lubricants, which will hopefully lead to new product development. For example, Dr. Schmidt and colleagues recently authored a peer-reviewed paper 1 that used these tests to characterize a newly available recombinant version of a control, and other related disciplines to produce high-performance linear actuators. The company now pro- vides instruments that measure the viscoelastic and shear properties of the retina and cornea for research, medical device manufacturing, and engineering applications. "Bose is a leading supplier of biomedical instruments for research- ers in both academia and industry," said Kathleen Burzycki, former segment marketer for biologics, Bose ElectroForce Systems Group. Linear motor technology Using the same technologies it has perfected for stereo systems, Bose entered ophthalmology, in part by showcasing at last year's Association for Research in Vision and Ophthal- mology (ARVO) annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. One of the linear actuator topologies developed by Bose—the ElectroForce moving-magnet linear motor, which was originally devel- oped for an experimental loudspeak- er—is now being used in ophthal- mologic research. "Our ElectroForce technology has been used in a variety of bio- material and medical device testing situations because it provides excep- tional fidelity and precision for ap- plications," Ms. Burzycki said. "This has been useful for ophthalmology because the materials being tested can be fragile and require only low forces. By having a high level of accuracy and precision with our technology, we are able to perform material characterization and testing for these types of applications." Although it may seem unlikely for Bose to have a role in the oph- thalmology industry, at major con- ferences in recent years there have been discussions about significant growth in the study of biomechanics over the past several decades. "With this focus on learning more about material characteristics, tissue characterization, friction at interfaces, and other mechanically focused research topics, there will be more need for systems like those created by Bose," Ms. Burzycki said. Bose boasts of test instruments with a wide application range including tissue stimulation and growth, biomaterials characteriza- tion, and medical device testing. A company better known for speakers has entered ophthalmology B ose is a company well known in the stereo busi- ness, and it may surprise you to learn that the com- pany is now involved in the eye industry. Bose Corporation, through its ElectroForce Systems Group (Eden Prairie, Minn.), has en- tered the ophthalmology industry, delivering ophthalmologic research solutions through its test systems that use proprietary linear motor technology. Bose is not the only company recognized outside ophthalmology in the technology field to enter the space—other companies, such as Sony and recently Nikon, have also entered the medical/ophthalmic realm. Throughout the years, Bose has focused on developing high-quality transducers for its speakers, building its technical strengths in electro- magnetics, materials science, motion Branching into the ophthalmic space natural lubricant on the eye (lubri- cin), which is currently being devel- oped as a treatment for dry eye. According to the paper, "Pro- teoglycan 4 (PRG4, or lubricin) is a lubricating mucin-like glycoprotein recently discovered at the ocular surface, where it functions as a boundary lubricant and appears to play a protective role. Both PRG4 and rhPRG4 [full-length recombi- nant human PRG4] significantly, and similarly, reduced friction compared to saline at both hu- man cornea-polydimethylsiloxane [PDMS] and human cornea-eyelid biointerfaces. In conclusion, the rhPRG4 studied here demonstrated appropriate higher order structure, O-linked glycosylations, and ocular surface boundary lubricating. Puri- fied rhPRG4 may have clinical utility as a topical treatment of dry eye disease or contact lens biomaterial coating to promote more comfort- able wear." An earlier paper authored by Dr. Schmidt and David A. Sullivan, MS, PhD, FARVO, Schepens Eye Research Institute, Harvard Medical School Affiliate, with colleagues 2 provided initial motivation for study into the realm of contact lenses and the function of lubricin on the surface of the eye. That study showed lu- bricin is transcribed, translated, and expressed by ocular surface epithelia. The findings demonstrate that lubri- cin's presence significantly reduces friction between the cornea and conjunctiva, and that lubricin defi- ciency may play a role in promoting corneal damage. EW References 1. Samsom ML, Morrison S, Masala N, et al. Characterization of full-length recombinant human Proteoglycan 4 as an ocular surface boundary lubricant. Exp Eye Res. 2014 Oct;127:14–9. 2. Schmidt TA, Sullivan DA, Knop E, et al. Tran- scription, translation, and function of lubricin, a boundary lubricant, at the ocular surface. JAMA Ophthalmol. 2013;131(6):766–76. Editors' note: On May 22, 2015, the ElectroForce Systems Group was acquired by TA Instruments. The sourc- es have financial interests with Bose. Contact information Lusk: jason_lusk@bose.com Schmidt: tschmidt@ucalgary.ca ElectroForce 3200 axial torsion test instrument with temperature- controlled bath Source: Bose

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