Healing With Compassion

Eye research & treatments for infants
and expecting mothers

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ZIETCHICK RESEARCH INSTITUTE

SPEAK WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL ABOUT PROTECTING YOUR ADULT EYES AGAINST SHINGLES

By ZIETCHICK RESEARCH INSTITUTE | Mar 8, 2021
Just about everyone has heard of chickenpox, a very contagious disorder characterized by an itchy, blistery rash. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. In fact, 99 out of 100 U.S. adults, who are currently over 50 years of age, have had chickenpox as a child. About twenty-five years ago, an FDA-approved vaccine against chickenpox…
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ZIETCHICK RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Michigan Becomes First State To Protect Their Youth By Banning Flavored Vaping Products

By ZIETCHICK RESEARCH INSTITUTE | Mar 8, 2021
In 2004, Chinese entrepreneurs introduced e-cigarettes—handheld battery-powered vaporizers that simulate smoking—to the world. The heating element in e-cigarettes produces vapors, which are inhaled. Within 15 short years, vaping has become a $10 billion dollar business in the U.S. alone. Alarmingly, the use of e-cigarettes by teens is soaring. According to a 2017 study by the Centers…
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ZIETCHICK RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Zietchick Research Institute

Zietchick Research Institute is the only life science start-up aimed to develop new therapeutics, specifically designed for the eye health of vulnerable populations—that of women AND children.

Believe it or not, premature infants and adult diabetics are both at risk for a similar type of blinding eye disease called proliferative retinopathy. This eye disease, which affects both males and females, is characterized by the formation of fragile, pathologic blood vessels. These abnormal vessels easily hemorrhage and can pull on the back of the eye—the retina—to cause it to detach. If the patient’s retina detaches, then he or she becomes blind. In fact, proliferative retinopathy is a leading cause of both pediatric and adult blindness throughout the world.

Zietchick Research Institute

Now, we will let you in on a secret, premature girls and diabetic women with retinopathy have a unique commonality that is not well known—in fact, we, at Zietchick Research Institute have been the ones to discover it—we have novel data to show that females with proliferative retinopathy have increased levels of reproductive hormones compared to females without any eye disease; this is true regardless of age. Interestingly, this is not seen in the male population. Our drug will work by counteracting this excess hormone in the female eye. Thus, we are proud to say that we are developing the world’s first treatment for proliferative retinopathy that addresses the unique pathophysiology that occurs in female eye disease, both in infancy and adulthood. It will be used to treat both diabetic retinopathy and retinopathy of prematurity (also known as ROP).

Moreover, our drug will be formulated as the first eye drop to treat retinopathy. Though eye drops are a common way to treat dry eye and glaucoma, those diseases affect the front of the eye. Eye drops are not usually used for treating diseases affecting the back of the eye. However, the properties of our intended therapeutic will allow it to cross the cornea, the front surface of the eye. Then, we plan to wrap our drug in nanoparticles to help deliver it to the back of the eye. Therefore, our drug will not need to be injected into the eye like the other treatments—such as anti-VEGF agents– that are currently available for treating retinopathy. All in all, the mission of Zietchick Research Institute is to help both women and children preserve their vision so that they can enjoy the sights of this beautiful world just like everyone else.

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