Lingyun Cheng, M.D. is an internationally acclaimed scientist and researcher in vitreoretinal diseases. Dr. Cheng and his colleagues have developed a new intraocular crystalline lipid prodrug delivery system, an effective approach to achieve a sustained therapeutic drug level in an eye. With this system patients can avoid frequent intravitreal injections for treatment of many refractory vitreoretinal diseases. This new intraocular drug delivery system has been in the patenting process by the University of California, San Diego and its scientific merits have been published in many prestigious scientific journals.

Dr. Cheng also actively engages in retinal gene therapy research and clinical vitreoretinal researches. His gene therapy studies have been focused on advancing promising therapies for macular degeneration, tumors, inherited retinal disease, retinal detachment, macular holes, and other important retinal diseases. Now Dr. Cheng is developing a new Feline Immunodeficiency Virus based viral vector to carry therapeutic genes to treat the animal model for vitreoretinal diseases. The initial results have demonstrated promise with transgene expression 18 months after a single report gene subretinal delivery.

In addition, Dr. Cheng is developing a new intraocular drug delivery system using “smart dust” which promises a controlled drug release according to the needs of the specific disease treatment. Dr Cheng has published many scientific papers and scientific abstracts in many major scientific journals and meetings of visual science.