41855Towards Dropless Cataract Surgery: MEDILens, a Drug-eluting Intraocular LensClosedStudyInnovate UKVisusNano is a medtech start-up company that is developing a drug-eluting intraocular lens, for use in patients undergoing cataract surgery. By improving patient outcomes, removing the need for eye drops after surgery, our technology has the potential to revolutionise cataract surgery in both the human and veterinary markets. Cataract, defined as opacification of the lens within the eye, is the commonest cause of blindness worldwide. The only cure is surgery and it main risk is postoperative inflammation that causes pain and, if left untreated, visual loss. This can be prevented with an intense administration of eye drops. 20k domestic animal cataract operations are performed each year in the UK. Each requires postoperative drops up to 6 times per day for 3 months. Often dogs and cats owners cannot afford this intensive treatment schedule, so the animals do not have surgery and become blind. In the UK, more than 400k surgeries are performed each year in humans. After surgery care requires drop administration up to 4 times/day for a month. If patients cannot self-administer the drops, family is asked to support their older relatives, adding to the unpaid carer burden. Unfortunately families cannot always help, so nurse's support is needed at a high cost to the NHS (\>£55M/year) and burden for a hospital eye service that is already "on its knees". MEDILens is a biodegradable lens that can release anti-inflammatory drugs into the eye, obviating the need for eye drops without compromising the properties of the lens. The innovation is protected by patents. The Innovate UK funding would allow us to test the safety and efficacy of MEDILens on animals, so to develop a veterinary product and a prototype for the human market within 18 months. We are planning to present our results to conferences and publish them on high impact factor journals. With MEDILens growth opportunities and secondary markets are substantial. Not only the IOL market is growing because of the ageing population, but MEDILens can be easily modified to incorporate other drugs to treat different diseases. Our company's success lies in our diverse skill mix. Our team has expertise in drug delivery development, ophthalmic surgery, clinical trials and project management. An ophthalmologist and a veterinary ophthalmologist are integral to the team and ensure that the developed product is fit for their end-users.