Customized Animal Models of Diabetic Retinopathy

Inquiry

Animal models of diabetic retinopathy (DR) are a cornerstone of preclinical research on diabetes-related eye disease. They enable assessment of retinal vascular and neural changes and support the development of innovative therapies for vision-threatening stages of the disease. By integrating imaging, functional testing and tissue analysis, these models help link in vitro observations with in vivo responses. At Ace Therapeutics, we focus on customized animal models of DR and collaborate closely with our clients to generate data for preclinical decision-making.

Diabetic Retinopathy and the Need for Animal Models

DR is a leading cause of vision impairment in people with diabetes, driven by chronic hyperglycemia that triggers microvascular damage, inflammation and progressive retinal neurodegeneration. Early stages are often asymptomatic, yet can evolve into proliferative DR and diabetic macular edema, which carry a high risk of irreversible vision loss. Well-characterized animal models are therefore essential to reproduce key vascular and neural changes, dissect underlying mechanisms and evaluate potential therapeutics and ocular administration approaches in a controlled preclinical setting.

Fig. 1. Retinal images corresponding to the different stages of diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular oedema. (Vujosevic S, et al., 2020)

Explore Our Animal Models of Diabetic Retinopathy

Our scientists are dedicated to developing and refining animal models that capture the key vascular and neural features of DR across different stages of disease. With a solid understanding of DR pathophysiology and ocular endpoints, Ace Therapeutics offers models that recapitulate early non-proliferative alterations as well as advanced ischemic and neovascular stages. Our platform supports flexible study design, including choice of model establishment approach, observation period, endpoints, and routes of administration.

Diabetic Retinopathy Model Evaluation Services

Ace Therapeutics provides a full panel of structural, functional, and molecular readouts that can be combined into tailored evaluation packages to meet specific study objectives.

Service Category	Available Services
Vascular & Barrier Function	Fluorescein angiography (FA) to assess vascular leakage, non-perfusion, and neovascular tufts. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) to evaluate retinal thickness and edema. Quantitative image analysis of neovascular area, vessel density, and vessel tortuosity.
Neurodegeneration & Visual Function	Electroretinography (ERG) to detect early changes in retinal function. Optokinetic tracking with visual acuity and contrast sensitivity assessment to evaluate visual performance. Histological assessments, including retinal ganglion cell and photoreceptor counts, TUNEL staining, and measurement of inner retinal layer thickness.
Inflammation & Fibrosis	Histology and immunohistochemistry (e.g., CD31, GFAP, Iba1, VEGF, ICAM-1). qPCR and RNA-seq panels for inflammatory and angiogenic mediators. Cytokine profiling (e.g., VEGF, IL-1β, TNF-α) from retina, vitreous, and plasma.

Ready to start your preclinical study in DR? Ace Therapeutics combines ophthalmology experience with a flexible in vivo platform to help you choose appropriate models and design studies that address your key scientific questions. We configure customized animal models of DR and evaluation packages according to your targets and timelines. If you would like to discuss how our customized animal models of DR may support your upcoming work, please contact us.

Reference

Vujosevic S, Aldington SJ, Silva P, et al. Screening for diabetic retinopathy: new perspectives and challenges. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2020 Apr; 8(4): 337-347.

For Research Use Only.