Induction of Experimental Diabetic Retinopathy and Experimental Choroidal Neovascularization in Both Rabbit and Non-Human Primate Eyes as Pre-Clinical Models Corinne G. Wong, Ph.D., Principal, Chief Scientific Officer, SCLERA LLC
SCLERA LLC is a University of California spin-off company that is focused on the use of patented ophthalmic sustained release implants in performing pre-clinical studies for treatment of both wet aging-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic retinopathy (DR). Initial early studies include the utility of patented VEGF/bFGF-containing implants that are placed within either the suprachoroidal space or the vitreous in the rabbit eye to elicit either experimental choroidal neovascularization (CNV) or proliferative DR, respectively. Recent studies demonstrate similarities of these VEGF/bFGF implants within the cynomologous monkey eye as a comparison to the rabbit eye.
Studies demonstrate the predictive value of utilizing these implants within the relatively large rabbit eye to induce non-traumatic experimental CNV and DR for defining potential pre-clinical therapeutic modalities. Practical benefits of utilizing experimental CNV and DR in the rabbit eye for pre-clinical studies include cost savings prior to clinical trials, ability to perform multiple treatment modalities, biochemical similarity to the human pathophysiologic condition, and use of standard ophthalmic clinical instrumentation to monitor easily the in vivo angiogenic progression in the presence of therapeutic candidates. This presentation will describe the experimental model approaches and clinical relevance for defining predictive therapeutic activities within pre-clinical trials.
Benefits of this presentation include:
- Utility of the rabbit eye for pre-clinical studies
- Comparison between the non-human primate eye and the rabbit eye
- Similarities of angiogenic features between the monkey eye and the rabbit eye
- Ability to define non-VEGF treatment modalities such as anti-inflammatory agents for sub-retinal diseases
- Development of the VEGF/bFGF implants as long-term ophthalmic medical devices in treatment of various retinal and sub-retinal disorders.
