Services
SILK’s clinical research services concentrate on clinical ocular pharmacology, likewise on projects striving to develop novel eye disease diagnostics and treatment methods. Additionally, expert services are available for problems related to visual functions. SILK offers services to enterprises, actors in the public sector and also to private individuals.SILK aims to create a comprehensive and flexible service production entity starting from basic eye and vision research and ending to clinical trials. SILK’s cooperation with leading Finnish and international research units engaging in eye and vision research enables a wide range of expert services.
Examples of SILK service models
The cornea and it diseases
- Cell culture models of corneal diseases
- Analysis of medications and chemical compounds and assessment of adverse effects
- Stem cell transplants and corneal transplants
- Refractive surgery and development of surgical methods Utilization of new biomaterials
- Corneal diseases, especially clinical studies of the ocular surface diseases
Glaucoma
- Development of medications used in the treatment of glaucoma and assessments of drawbacks of medications
- Imaging the functions of the retina and its cells and electronic registration in glaucoma
- Management of wound healing in glaucoma surgery, surgical implants and new biomaterials
- Experimental development work on tonometers, measurement platform for device testing for precision and replicability
- Clinical glaucoma studies
The retina and its diseases
- Cell culture models of age-related macular degeneration, testing of adverse effects of medications and chemical compounds
- Development of new forms of treatment for macular degeneration
- Differentiation of retinal pigment epithelial cells from embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells. New biomaterials appropriate for differentiation and transplantation
- New dosing technologies based on retinal pigment epithelial cells (cell factories, gene transfers)
- Imaging of retinal cell function and electronic recording
- Individual disease models of retinal diseases and development models for individually tailored cure
- Angiogenesis models of the retina, regulatory mechanisms and new treatment modes based thereon
- New treatment modes for exudative macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity
- Functional imaging of retinal cells
- Interpretation and utilization based on digital retinal image recognition
- Retinal blood vessels in systemic diseases and analysis of blood vessel dynamics
- Development and testing of new imaging technology
- Clinical testing of retinal diseases
Clinical research services
SILK offers excellent opportunities to conduct clinical trials. SILK researchers have sound experience of Phase 1-4 clinical trials related to eye and vision research. The SILK clinical research premises are located in the FinnMedi Oy premises. The research centre offers facilities designed for clinical research and equipment and operating modes geared to GCP level research. The SILK eye unit has at its disposal modern eye research, measurement and imaging equipment.
