Dendrimers are described as “tree-like, non-cytotoxic polymeric drug delivery vehicles” and were used to deliver steroid drugs to activated microglial cells, the immune cells in charge of removing dead and dying material in the eye. The dendrimers slowly released steroids, and provided neuroprotection for at least a month in clinical trials using rats. The steroids only targeted the activated microglia that cause damage associated with neuroinflammation, a leading cause of both macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa.
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