Photoresponsive PEG-anthracene grafted hyaluronan as a controlled-delivery biomaterial

Ophthalmic drug delivery to the posterior segment of the eye could benefit from a responsive controlled drug delivery system with light or laser inducible changes. For example, the delivery of age-related macular degeneration drugs requires invasive monthly injections making long-term photoresponsive drug delivery a desirable option. The feasibility of this may be facilitated by both the transparency of the eye and the advanced technology in ophthalmic lasers. Hyaluronic acid photogels that are compatible with retinal pigment epithelial cell lines are shown here to deliver a variety of small and large model drugs over the long term (months). Varying UV exposures resulted in decreases/increases or the turning off and on of delivery, potentially allowing the therapy to be tailored to suit the patient and the disease.