Biosignal & Institute for Eye Research CL trial

Biotechnology company Biosignal and the Institute for Eye Research in Australia have received ethics approval for the first human clinical trial of an antibacterial extended wear contact lens.

The trial, which started last week, will compare the safety performance of an antibacterial contact lens to that of a standard contact lens, with results expected later this month. Eye health, lens performance on the eye and wearers' subjective responses are being evaluated in a comparison involving 10 people.

The company commercialises an anti-bacterial technology identified by University of New South Wales (UNSW) researchers at the Centre for Marine Biofouling and Bioinnovation, which prevents and disrupts microbial infection by 'jamming' the signalling systems bacteria rely on to form biofilms.