@UNPUBLISHED{publication1, title = "Towards a precision ophthalmology: targetting the retina", author = "{FERREIRA, Jos{\'{e}} Augusto} and {OLIVEIRA, Paula de} and {SILVA, Pascoal da} and {SILVA, Rufino}", year = "2017-12-28", abstract = "Efficacious drug delivery to the posterior chamber of the eye is a very challenging problem due to the many physiological barriers that protect the eye against the entry of exogenous substances. To avoid, or to limit, the action of these barriers several drug delivery routes are being investigated and used in clinical opthalmology. To assist medical and pharmaceutical research, mathematical modelling of the release kinetics assumes a crucial role. In this paper three dimensional computational models that simulate drug delivery from two different biodegradable polymeric platforms - intravitreal and transscleral - are presented. The models consist of coupled systems of partial differential equations linked by interface conditions, where the properties of the drug, of the implant and of the eye tissues are taken into account. Peak concentrations and residence times are compared for the two delivery routes. Particular attention is devoted to the modelling of the Blood Retinal Barrier (BRB). The influence of retinal diseases, represented by parameters that characterize the permeation through the BRB, is analyzed. Numerical simulations that illustrate the differences in the behavior of drug released from intravitreal and transscleral implants are included. ", url = "http://www.mat.uc.pt/preprints/eng\_2017.html", note = "" }