Prize-winning research aims to better treat eye diseases

Optometry Lyndon Jones a key member of team winning Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering . By Karen Kawawada School of Optometry and Vision Science An interdisciplinary, multi-institutional team with a University of Waterloo professor as a core member, has been named the winner of the prestigious Brockhouse Canada Prize for Interdisciplinary Research in Science and Engineering on November 1st. The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada announced the 2023 Brockhouse Prize has been awarded to the C20/20 Innovation Hub, which comprises scientists, engineers and clinicians from McMaster University, the University of Toronto and Waterloo. Dr. Lyndon Jones of Waterloo's School of Optometry and Vision Science is one of seven core investigators on the team, which is led by Dr. Heather Sheardown, a McMaster professor of chemical engineering. The team's aim is to develop and commercialize methods to better deliver drugs to the eye. Currently, most drugs for eye diseases are delivered in the form of eyedrops. However, drugs are removed from the surface of the eye very quickly via the tear draining system and due to blinking.