The companies AJL Ophthalmic, Bioftalmik, BTI, Faes Farma, Progenika Biopharma and CIC bioGUNE, the Centre for Cooperative Research Inasmet-Tecnalia and the Technology Centre Vissum are taking part in Customatized Eye Care (CeyeC), the most ambitious project in Ophthalmology undertaken yet in Spain. With a total budget of 22 million euros, in November 2009 the Spanish government approved a grant of nearly half the investment via the Cenit Programme for National Strategic Consortiums in Technical Research.

CeyeC will undertake R&D on personalised and minimally invasive Ophthalmology, aiming at offering solutions and treatments for a series of pathologies and sight disorders that make up 99% of the eye diseases in Spain and world-wide.

The ultimate objective is to improve the patient’s quality of eyesight, by covering three thematic areas: Implants/Lenses; Diagnosis; and Therapy. These three areas involve research into: early diagnosis and personalised treatment of inflammations of the surface of the eye and its frontal segment (dry eye, allergy, uveitis); the reconstruction of the surface of the eye by using regenerative medicine and cell therapy; defects of refraction (myopia, astigmatism, presbyopia), pathologies of the lens or cataracts and glaucoma or hypovision.

Under the leadership of Vissum Corporation, the consortium is made up of 12 medical, pharma and biotech companies representing the entire value chain in Ophthalmology. Six Basque companies- AJL Ophtalmic, Bioftalmik, Biolan, BTI, Faes Farma and Progenika Biopharma- together with Indo, Sylentis, Rovi, TSF, the Fernández Vega Ophthalmological Institute and Vissum, are also supported by 20 Research and Technology Centres (among them CIC bioGUNE and Inasmet-Tecnalia respectively) and 14 subcontracted companies.

AJL Ophthalmic is the sole manufacturer of intraocular lenses at Spanish level and participates in CeyeC developing new intraocular lenses, intrastromal ring segments and orbital prostheses.

Faes Farma joined the consortium to transfer its knowledge in other areas of biomedicine to ophthalmology and vision care, applying anti-allergy drugs that have been approved for systemic use to ocular formulations.

In the area of diagnosis, companies such as Bioftalmik, Biolan, or Progenika Biopharma will set up synergies for the development of biosensors and diagnostic tools for the pathologies causing inflammations and degeneration of the eye surface, for applications in personalised therapies.

In regenerative medicine and cell therapy, BTI will apply the use of plasma derivates rich in growth factors (PRGF) for pathologies of the surface of the eye and their combination with bioprosthesis.