Dr. Ilva Rupenthal

Dr. Ilva Rupenthal is an Associate Professor in the Department of Ophthalmology, University of Auckland, New Zealand, and the inaugural Director of the Buchanan Ocular Therapeutics Unit (www.botu.nz), which aims to translate ocular therapeutic-related scientific research into the clinical setting. Her main interest is in the area of translational research, applying her pharmaceutical knowledge to biomedical applications to develop novel ocular drug delivery systems with improved efficacy and safety. She has current projects on dry eye, uveitis, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration management. Ilva has worked with semifluorinated alkane, polymeric, in situ gelling, and nanoparticulate systems for the delivery of various therapeutics to reduce inflammatory processes in the eye.