Eye drops to strengthen the eye and slow childhood nearsightedness
Official title: Topical Eyedrops Increasing Lysyl Oxidase and Dopamine Activity to Control Myopia
Funded at Iveena Delivery Systems, INC. · NIH-11261496 · Data updated 2026-11-12
These experimental eye drops deliver copper to boost an enzyme and dopamine activity to help strengthen the eye and slow nearsightedness in children.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Iveena Delivery Systems, INC. NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Salt Lake City, United States) |
| Project start | September 30, 2023 |
| Project end | August 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $933,817 |
| NIH project number | 2R44EY034770-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11261496 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children and adolescents with progressing nearsightedness (increasing prescription or axial length) would be the main candidates for future trials of this treatment.
✕Less likely to help
People with stable, non-progressing nearsightedness, adults with long-established high myopia, or those with other eye diseases that prevent topical drug access are unlikely to benefit from this approach.
What this research studies
This project is developing IVMED-85, a topical eye drop that delivers copper to raise levels of lysyl oxidase and increase dopamine-related activity to stiffen the sclera and cornea and slow axial eye growth. The team showed the drops slowed axial lengthening and myopia progression in juvenile myopic guinea pigs and completed GLP toxicology studies in juvenile animals. The current work completes formulation stability and safety testing needed to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the FDA. If the IND is accepted, the next step would be human clinical trials to test safety and effectiveness in children with progressing myopia.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this approach could slow progression of childhood myopia and lower the future risk of high-myopia complications such as retinal detachment, maculopathy, cataract, and glaucoma.
How similar studies have gone: This copper-driven crosslinking approach is novel for myopia control; it showed promising results in animal studies, but no approved human drug currently uses this exact mechanism for myopia.
Where this research is happening
-
Iveena Delivery Systems, INC.
Salt Lake City, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Molokhia, Sarah Abdulla — Iveena Delivery Systems, INC.
- Study coordinator: Molokhia, Sarah Abdulla
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Sulfated molecules in the back of the eye and how they shape myopia progression
This grant studies how losing certain building blocks in the eye’s outer layer may affect eye shape and the worsening of nearsightedness in pig eyes to model human disease.
-
Understanding how myopia and glaucoma are connected through eye mechanics
This study looks at how eye growth in myopia may influence glaucoma risk and what markers could identify it early.
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Topical eyedrops to slow myopia progression in children
A new eyedrop, IVMED-85, is being studied to help slow down myopia in kids by strengthening the eye’s tissues through a copper-related mechanism.
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Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma for High Myopia
A study to improve early detection of open-angle glaucoma in people with high myopia using advanced eye imaging.
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PICNIC: Factors inside the eye linked to childhood near-sightedness
Researchers are studying how eye structure and vision in young children may predict who will develop myopia, aiming to understand why some kids become nearsighted.
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Peripheral vision factors behind kids’ nearsightedness
A study with children explores how outer-edge eye signals and eye optics affect the worsening of nearsightedness and whether new lenses and tools can help slow or prevent it.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.