This joint project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and involving the Medical Laser Center Lübeck (MLL), the Eye Clinic of the UKSH, Campus Kiel and several industrial partners, is dedicated to research into new, gentler and more cost-effective therapies for diabetic eye diseases.
There are currently more than 6 million diabetics in Germany with an increasing incidence. In about 20 % of patients, swelling (edema) of the central retina (macula) occurs, which slowly but surely leads to loss of vision and, if left untreated, to blindness. The current standard therapy consists of injections of drugs directly into the patient's eye, typically about 5-7 injections per eye per year. Since a single injection costs about 1,500 €, there is an enormous financial burden on the health care system with costs of far more than 1 billion € per year, in addition to the psychological burden of the patients, who often postpone the ideal time of reinjection. On the other hand, initial studies have shown that very mild laser radiation can influence the course of the disease and reduce the formation of edema.
In order to realize a gentle therapy, a temperature-based control module for the treatment laser is realized at the MLL, which always achieves the same stimulation temperature at the retina during irradiation. The temperature elevation can be preselected by the physician, no matter how strong the light transmission of the individual eye and the pigmentation of the retina are at the treated area.
In this project we also cooperate with the Institute for Electrical Engineering in Medicine (IME) at the University of Lübeck.
Further information: https://www.photonikforschung.de/media/lebenswissenschaften/pdf/RegiLas-PhotonischeSystemloesungen-Projektsteckbrief-bf-C1.pdf
Own publications, peer reviewed:
1. Baade A, von der Burchard C, Lawin M, Koinzer S, Schmarbeck B, Schlott K, Miura Y, Roider J, Birngruber R, Brinkmann R. Power-controlled temperature guided retinal laser therapy. J Biomed Opt 2017; 22(11):1-11.
2. Tode J, Richert E, Koinzer S, Klettner A, von der Burchardt C, Brinkmann R, Lucius R, Roider J. Thermal Stimulation of the Retina Reduces Bruch’s Membrane Thickness in Age Related Macular Degeneration Mouse Models. TVST 2018; 7(3):1-16.
3. Kern K, Mertineit CL, Brinkmann R, Miura Y. Expression of heat shock protein 70 and cell death kinetics after different thermal impacts on cultured retinal pigment epithelial cells. Exp Eye Res 2018; 170:117-126.
4. Herzog C, Thomsen O, Schmarbeck B, Siebert M, Brinkmann R. Temperature-Controlled Laser Therapy of the Retina via Robust Adaptive ℋ∞-Control. at- Automatisierungstechnik 2018; 66(12):1051-1063.
5. Schlott K, Koinzer S, Baade A, Birngruber R, Roider J, Brinkmann R. Lesion strength control by automatic temperature guided retinal photocoagulation. J Biomed Opt 2016; 21(9).
6. Iwami H, Pruessner J, Shiraki K, Brinkmann R, Miura Y. Protective effect of a laser-induced sub-lethal temperature rise on RPE cells from oxidative stress. Exp Eye Res 2014; 124:37-47.
7. Schlott K, Koinzer S, Ptaszynski L, Bever M, Baade A, Roider J, Birngruber R, Brinkmann R. Automatic Temperature Controlled Retinal Photocoagulation. J Biomed Optics 2012; 17( 6):061223.
8. Koinzer S, Schlott K, Ptaszynski L, Bever M, Kleemann S, Saeger M, Baade A, Caliebe A, Miura Y, Birngruber R, Brinkmann R, Roider J. Temperature-controlled retinal photocoagulation - a step toward automated laser treatment. IOVS 2012; 53(7):3605-3614.
9. Brinkmann R, Koinzer S, Schlott K, Ptaszynski L, Bever M, Baade A, Luft S, Miura Y, Roider J, Birngruber R. Real-time temperature determination during retinal photocoagulation on patients. J Biomed Opt 2012; 17(6): 061219
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