Composition and method for treating nucleic acid-related eye disease

1. A topical composition for the treatment of a nucleic acid-related eye disease, wherein the composition is an isotonic composition and comprises a recombinant nuclease or a variant thereof and an ophthalmic excipient;

wherein the ophthalmic excipient stabilizes the pH of the composition between 6.5 and 7.5 and maintains the isotonic environment of the composition;

wherein the composition is hypo-osmolar or iso-osmolar as compared to the osmolarity of tear fluid from a subject without nucleic acid-related eye disease; and,

wherein the composition does not contain an antibiotic.

2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the recombinant nuclease is a DNase, an RNase, or a combination thereof.

3. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the DNase is an endonuclease or an exonuclease.

4. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the DNase is selected from the group consisting of Deoxyribonuclease I (DNase I), Deoxyribonuclease II (DNase II), Deoxyribonuclease III (DNase III), and micrococcal nuclease.

5. The composition of claim 4 , wherein the DNase I is dornase alpha.

6. The composition of claim 2 , wherein the RNase is selected from the group consisting of Ribonuclease A (RNase A); Ribonuclease H (RNase H); Ribonuclease I (RNase I); Ribonuclease II (RNase II); Ribonuclease III (RNase III); Ribonuclease D (RNase D); Ribonuclease L (RNase L); Ribonuclease P (RNase P); Ribonuclease PH (RNase PH); Ribonuclease PhyM (RNase PhyM); Ribonuclease R (RNase R); Ribonuclease T (RNase T); Ribonuclease T1 (RNase T1); Ribonuclease T2 (RNase T2); Ribonuclease U2 (RNase U2); Ribonuclease V1 (RNase V1); Ribonuclease V (RNase V); Oligoribonuclease; Exoribonuclease I; and Exoribonulcease II.

7. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the ophthalmic excipient is selected from the group consisting of a buffer, tonicity adjuster, wetting agent, an antioxidant, and combinations thereof.

8. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising an antagonist or inhibitor selected from the group consisting of a toll-like receptor antagonist, a type-1 interferon antagonist, a cathelicidin inhibitor, a MyD88 inhibitor, a steroid, an anti-allergy compound, a neutrophil elastase inhibitor, and combinations thereof.

9. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the form of the composition is a solid, an ointment, a gel, a liquid, an aerosol, a mist, a polymer, a contact lens, a film, an emulsion, or a suspension.

10. A method for the treatment of an ocular infection, comprising topically administering an effective amount of an isotonic composition

to an ocular surface of an eye to remove nucleic acid from the ocular surface of the eye to treat the ocular infection;

wherein the isotonic composition comprises a recombinant nuclease or a variant thereof and an ophthalmic excipient;

wherein the ophthalmic excipient stabilizes the pH of the composition between 6.5 and 7.5 and maintains the isotonic environment of the composition;

wherein the composition does not contain an antibiotic; and,

wherein the recombinant nuclease is a DNase, an RNase, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ocular surface of the eye contains a tear film.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the tear film is a biofilm or a mucoid film.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the biofilm or mucoid film contains nucleic acid.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the nucleic acid is extracellular nucleic acid.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the nucleic acid is DNA, RNA, or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 10 , wherein the effective amount of the composition contains between 5 ng/ml and 3 mg/ml of the recombinant nuclease.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the effective amount of the composition contains between 1 mg/ml and 3 mg/ml of the recombinant nuclease.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the ocular infection is a bacterial or viral infection and may cause one or more of dry eye disease, lamellar keratitis, contact lens-associated keratitis, endophthalmitis, infectious crystalline keratopathy, ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP), keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), Sjogren syndrome (SS), Sjogren syndrome associated keratoconjunctivitis sicca, non-Sjogren syndrome associated keratoconjunctivitis sicca, keratitis sicca, sicca syndrome, xerophthalmia, tear film disorder, decreased tear production, aqueous tear deficiency (ATD), and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

19. A method for the treatment of an ocular bacterial infection, comprising topically administering an effective amount of the composition of claim 1 to a surface of an eye to remove nucleic acid from the surface of the eye to treat the ocular bacterial infection; wherein the recombinant nuclease is a DNase, an RNase, or a combination thereof.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the composition is coated onto a contact lens and the contact lens is contacted to the surface of the eye.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the ocular bacterial infection is the result of bacterial biofilm formation on or in the eye.

22. The composition of claim 1 , further comprising one or more suitable ophthalmic carriers.

23. The composition of claim 22 , wherein the one or more suitable ophthalmic carriers is selected from the group consisting of:

(a) alcohol, fatty alcohol, fatty acid, fatty acid ester, alkyl ester, polyol, sulfoxide, amide, surfactant, terpene, or alkenone;

(b) surface adhesion molecule modulating agents comprising a cadherin antagonist, a selectin antagonist, or an integrin antagonist;

(c) a physiological acceptable salt, poloxamer analogs with carbopol, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, carbopol-methyl cellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, hyaluronic acid, cyclodextrin, or petroleum; or

(d) slow release polymers including pilocarpine.