BARCELONA — Researchers at the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology in Spain developed and tested the Eye-in-a-Care-Box (ECaBox), a device designed to preserve and restore functional response to light in isolated eyes. The ECaBox delivers an oxygen-rich supply of fluid through the artery that supplies the eye with blood. The device is sealed to maintain a specific temperature and pressure and features a clear window that allows researchers to study and image the eyes while they are inside.

The researchers conducted tests showing pig eyes perfused in the ECaBox were more viable after 24 hours than eyes not maintained in the device. Untreated pig eyes lost their ability to respond to light upon removal from the animal. With perfusion in the ECaBox, the ability of pig eyes to respond to light returned after about 15 minutes. A few of the treated pig eyes maintained viability for 10 hours or more. Pig eyes kept outside the device at room temperature began to degenerate quickly, and pig eyes degenerated within 24 hours when kept at 4°C (39°F).

Researchers collected 12 eyes from six human cadavers. One eye from each pair was placed in the ECaBox, while its counterpart was not. The human eyes that underwent perfusion in the ECaBox maintained preserved retinas. Pia Cosma, a researcher at the Centre for Genomic Regulation, said the team plans to develop a portable version for use in surgical settings. "We are planning to develop a portable, surgery-room ECaBox to minimize [degradation] in heart-beating donor eyes, when they become available," Cosma said.

Shannon Tessier, a researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital not involved in the ECaBox research, described the development. "It's really cool," Tessier said. She added, "It could be a new frontier for retina preservation." However, Tessier also noted, "We won't know whether eyes treated in the ECaBox could do any better until they have been transplanted." The research describing the ECaBox is presented in a preprint article that has not yet undergone peer review.