Australian-invented MIGS device approved for use

First patented by the Lion’s Eye Institute (LEI) in 2003, the stent is the latest addition to a growing list of minimally invasive devices available for glaucoma patients, which are revolutionising the way the disease is being treated.This particular device is an almost-transparent microfistula tube about the size of an eyelash and thinner than a human hair. The surgery involves implanting it into the space between the eye’s anterior chamber and conjunctiva, which allows excess fluid to drain from the eye.{{quote-a:r-w:400-I:2-Q:“We made thousands of implants and ran more than 400 tests before finding the right combination. Patients who opt for this type of treatment should recover faster and achieve very successful managent of their glaucoma.”-WHO:Professor Dao-Yi Yu}}The researchers also developed a motorised implantation device with a robotic controller, to ensure the tube is placed in precisely the right position, with consistent timing.One of the device’s chief inventors, Professor Dao-Yi Yu, said the technology does not damage the conjunctiva or require scleral incisions, and is the result of more than 20 years of research.“Developing it was a huge challenge because the tube needed to be bio-compatible. It also needed to be si-rigid when implanting, then soften and swell after implantation,” he explained.“We made thousands of implants and ran more than 400 tests before finding the right combination. Patients who opt for this type of treatment should recover faster and achieve very successful managent of their glaucoma.”Aside from the therapeutic benefits to glaucoma patients, the device should also help generate millions of dollars in funding in milestone payments and royalty funding for the LEI, as it has already been approved for use in the US and in Europe, where more than 10,000 patients have been treated.The device was first licensed to Californian company Aquesys in 2006, which, in conjunction with Yu, raised US$94 million (AU$121.57 m) in funding to underwrite further product development and international clinical trials.Multinational drug company Allergan later acquired Aquesys for US$400 million (AU$517.32 m), and now markets the technology under the commercial name XEN Gel Stent.