Self-Assembling, Collagen-Based Material for Corneal Replacement

Abstract

The present invention discloses a material derived from sea cucumber collagen fibrils for use in corneal replacements or as an implantable contact lens. The present invention also discloses a method for producing the material. The collagen fibrils are centrifuged into orthogonal stacks of lamellae comprised of aligned fibrils. The resulting structure is a transparent film of arbitrary thickness very similar in structure to mammalian corneal tissue.

1 . A material suitable for ophthalmic purposes, comprising: 
 isolated, aligned collagen fibrils of an organism of the phylum Echinodermata.    
     
     
         2 . The material according to  claim 1 , wherein the collagen fibrils are aligned in a lamellar structure of orthogonal stacks of the aligned collagen fibrils.  
     
     
         3 . The material according to  claim 2 , wherein the lamellar structure is transparent.  
     
     
         4 . The material according to  claim 3 , wherein the lamellar structure is formed in a geometry suitable for corneal replacement.  
     
     
         5 . The material according to  claim 3 , wherein the lamellar structure is formed in a geometry suitable for use in conjunction with or as a part of a contact lens.  
     
     
         6 . The material according to  claim 1 , wherein the collagen fibrils are collagen fibrils from the deep dermis of the organism.  
     
     
         7 . The material according to  claim 1 , wherein the collagen fibrils comprise native, intact collagen fibrils of the organism.  
     
     
         8 . The material according to  claim 1 , wherein the organism is  Cucumaria frondosa.    
     
     
         9 . A method for producing a material suitable for ophthalmic purposes, comprising: 
 obtaining collagen fibrils isolated from an organism of the phylum Echinodermata.    
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 forming the collagen fibrils into a transparent film.    
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 10 , wherein forming the collagen fibrils into a transparent film comprises: 
 centrifuging an aqueous preparation of the collagen fibrils to obtain a pellet of the collagen fibrils; and    performing a deposition process by lyophilizing the pellet onto a template.    
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 11 , further comprising producing a desired geometry for the transparent film.  
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein producing a desired geometry for the transparent film comprises selecting a shape for the template.  
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the desired geometry for the transparent film comprises a geometry suitable for corneal replacement.  
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 12 , wherein the desired geometry for the transparent film comprises a geometry suitable for use in conjunction with or as part of a contact lens.  
     
     
         16 . The method according to  claim 11 , further comprising repeatedly depositing collagen fibrils onto the template to achieve a desired thickness of the transparent film.  
     
     
         17 . The method according to  claim 11 , wherein the template comprises a polymeric or plastic material.  
     
     
         18 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the organism is  Cucumaria frondosa.