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Researchers from Loyola University Chicago’s Stritch School of Medicine and the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) have developed a new treatment for the dry, gritty feeling and blurred vision experienced by the millions of Americans who suffer from dry eye disease—and it’s one step closer to being available to patients. This major advancement highlights the strong collaboration between the Departments of Ophthalmology from Stritch and UIC.
What is it?
In a first-in-human pilot clinical trial conducted by Dr. Sandeep Jain, the B.A. field professor of ophthalmology at UIC, immunoglobulin eye drops significantly reduced the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. Importantly, the drops were exceptionally well tolerated by patients, paving the path for the ongoing development to bring these drops to market.
The drops are harvesting the power of antibodies collected from pooled human plasma from thousands of healthy donors.
What makes this treatment different?
Currently approved treatments for dry eye only address specific causes of inflammation; the immunoglobulin drops target various mechanisms of inflammation on the eye and the ocular surface, including cytokines and chemokines, neutrophils, T cells, and several others.
“Our research is contributing to a paradigm shift that is considering the multiple sources of inflammation”, said Dr. Simon Kaja, Dr. John P. and Therese E. Mulcahy Endowed Professor of Ophthalmology, and associate professor of ophthalmology and molecular pharmacology and neuroscience in Stritch. “Immunoglobulin eye drops are poised to offer relief especially in patients suffering from moderate and severe forms of the disease.”
What’s next?
The initial research was funded by a National Institutes of Health (grant no. 1R24EY032440) grant awarded to Dr. Jain and Dr. Kaja.
The immunoglobulin eyedrops are now being developed as GRF312 under a partnership between Selagine, Inc., a spin-off company from UIC, and Grifols, a leader in plasma-derived medicines. In May 2025, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted Investigational New Drug clearance for GRF312, with Grifols as the Sponsor, paving the way for a Phase 2 clinical trial. This trial, which is expected to begin in the third quarter of 2025, will evaluate safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the drops in 100 patients with dry eye disease.
“The IND clearance opens the door to clinical trials for establishing the safety and efficacy of immunoglobulin eye drops and brings us one step closer to meaningfully improving outcomes for people suffering from dry eyes” said Dr. Jain, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at UIC, and founder and president of Selagine, Inc.
Contact the researchers:
Simon Kaja, PhD
Dr. John P. and Therese E. Mulcahy Endowed Professor in Ophthalmology, Loyola University Chicago
Sandeep Jain, MD
B.A. Field Professor of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago
