Antibody-based eye drop may treat dry eye disease: Study

The study found that patients suffering from dry eye can be cured with a new eye drop made from human antibodies. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are the first to identify the presence of a specific type of antibody, called anti-citrullinated protein autoantibodies, or ACPAs, in human tear fluid. They are also the first to demonstrate that patients with dry eye disease experienced reduced signs and symptoms of the condition in response to a new eye drop treatment -- made from human pooled antibodies -- that targets ACPAs. The findings from their early-stage clinical trial are reported in the journal -- The Ocular Surface. Dry eye disease is caused by abnormalities in the tear fluid and results in dry areas over the cornea, the transparent outer layer of the eye, which can lead to disabling eye pain and sensitivity to light in severe cases. It was discovered that strands of DNA extrude from neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, to form webs on the surface of eyes affected by severe dry eye disease and cause inflammation. The new eye drops treat dry eye disease by knocking the immune system out of this cycle, at least partially. The drops are formulated using pooled antibodies -- which are made from immune globulins processed from the donated blood of thousands of individuals, all containing varied types of antibodies -- that counteract the negative effects of ACPAs.