Press release from RWTH Aachen University
On 2 February, ACTO e.V. received its certificate of recognition from RWTH Rector Ernst Schmachtenberg. This makes ACTO the first medical research institute to be affiliated with Aachen University of Technology. The award ceremony took place during a symposium on the topic of ‘Ophthalmological Research – Successful Projects’.
On 2 February, ACTO e.V. received a certificate of recognition from RWTH Aachen University. Founded in 1998 by scientists from Aachen and Cologne, the institute conducts interdisciplinary research and is considered unique in Germany. One of its most important developments is an animal-free alternative to the Draize test, the standard test used to date. In this test, rabbits’ eyes are burned with substances that could enter the human eye. Due to the extremely high sensitivity of the cornea to pain, this method, which has been practised for more than 65 years, is considered highly controversial.
The successful cooperation between ACTO and the Institute for Semiconductor Technology (IHT) at RWTH Aachen University has resulted in the development of the EVEIT (Ex Vivo Eye Irritation Test), which is completely equivalent in terms of its informative value. Instead of the eyes of live rabbits, slaughterhouse waste can now be used to determine toxicity. A corneal culture developed by ACTO keeps the metabolism of the preparations stable for up to 28 days, long enough to analyse the areas damaged by chemical substances and to observe the healing processes in experiments with potential new drugs. Both processes can be visualised in detail using optical coherence tomography (OCT). The new animal-free EVEIT method can completely replace the Draize test and was therefore awarded the €100,000 science prize by the European Partnership for Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) in 2010.
In collaboration with the German Wool Research Institute and the Institute for Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University, ACTO can point to another promising development: a special type of artificial cornea, a keratoprosthesis, which is used as a temporary implant (ACTO TempKPRO) and an additional variant as a permanent implant (ACTO TexKPRO). The temporary implant can be used for a limited period of time in vitrectomies, for example, thereby significantly improving the prognosis for subsequent transplantation of a donor cornea. The permanent implant ACTO TexKPRO is currently being modified and promises to help patients whose immune system repeatedly causes rejection reactions to donor tissue or in whom the methods available to date have failed for other reasons.
The main objective of the projects pursued by ACTO is to bring together doctors, basic scientists, technicians, biologists, computer scientists and engineers to expand therapeutic options and rehabilitation for people suffering from so-called ‘rare diseases’.
