Filatov Foundation Program Participant Receives Patent for Ophthalmic Innovation

Alexander Dolbilkin, ophthalmologist at the 1st Ophthalmic Department of the Irkutsk Branch of the S.N. Fyodorov Eye Microsurgery National Medical Research Center of the Ministry of Health of Russia and postgraduate student at the Department of Eye Diseases of Irkutsk State Medical University, has been granted a patent by the State Register of Inventions of the Russian Federation.

Alexander and his co-authors — Tatyana Yuryeva and Andrei Shchuko — secured a patent for “A Method of Protective Therapeutic Keratoplasty Using a Corneal Lenticule.” The document grants exclusive rights to the invention until 2044. 

Earlier, Alexander presented this project at a pitch session organized by the V.P. Filatov Foundation. As a result, he became a participant in the All-Russian Summer Camp “RUSSIA — A COUNTRY OF SCIENTISTS. MEDICINA MOLODAYA” and subsequently, having earned a 2-point head start in the main competition, became an award winner and completed the “INNOVATION LEADERS-2025” scientific and educational program.

— The emotions are overwhelmingly positive. We anticipate the publication of another patent and several peer-reviewed Higher Attestation Commission (VAK) articles in the second quarter of this year, followed by the pre-defense before the dissertation council. In parallel, we are preparing a grant application to conduct a pilot clinical trial, which will mark a key milestone in translating the developed technology into clinical practice, — Alexander Dolbilkin shared with the Foundation.

The researchers are pursuing an alternative to scarce donor tissue. They propose replacing the damaged cornea with its stromal fragment from which cellular components have been removed. The accessibility of reagents and equipment allows preparing surgical material directly in the clinic.

The technique was tested on 20 experimental animals (rabbits), with follow-up monitoring demonstrating positive results. Keratoplasty was conducted using a complex of human lenticules obtained from refractive surgeries.

The team of young scientists follows the scientific legacy of Academician Vladimir Filatov, who developed and successfully implemented penetrating corneal transplantation in clinical practice.