Customized In Vivo Ocular Models ace

- By Animal Species
- By Disease

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* Services of Interest: Customized Animal Models of Ocular Surface Diseases
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* All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
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Customized Animal Models of Ocular Surface Diseases

Specializing in preclinical ocular surface research, Ace Therapeutics is dedicated to developing customized animal models of ocular surface diseases (OSDs) that recapitulate key pathological features such as ocular surface inflammation, tear film instability, epithelial barrier disruption, and microbiome dysbiosis. As one of the most common ocular surface diseases, dry eye disease (DED) is introduced separately, and additional information is available on our DED model page. Building on these OSD models, we provide comprehensive preclinical services for target validation, drug screening, mechanistic research, and therapeutic efficacy evaluation across a wide range of ophthalmic drug candidates and delivery systems.

Mechanistic Overview of Ocular Surface Diseases

OSDs arise from dysfunction of the lacrimal functional unit, which includes the cornea, conjunctiva, tear film, eyelids, meibomian and lacrimal glands, sensory nerves, and local immune cells. Environmental stress, aging, genetic factors, and microbiome imbalance activate innate and adaptive immune pathways, leading to tear film instability, hyperosmolarity, epithelial stress, and barrier disruption. Progressive epithelial damage with goblet cell loss and neurosensory alterations further amplifies inflammation and can ultimately drive fibrosis, neovascularization, and scarring.

Fig. 1. Schematic of the ocular surface mucosal immune response. Fig. 1. Schematic mucosal immune response of the ocular surface. (Galletti JG and de Paiva CS, 2021)

Explore Our Animal Models of Ocular Surface Diseases

Leveraging our preclinical ocular surface expertise, we provide customized animal models of OSDs, such as allergic conjunctivitis, infectious keratitis, and corneal neovascularization, as well as other ocular surface conditions. Through integration of specific pathological endpoints and relevant genetic backgrounds into the study design, our OSD animal models remain closely aligned with your research objectives and support preclinical evaluation and development of innovative ophthalmic therapeutics.

Ocular Surface Disease Animal Model Evaluation Services

Leveraging our customized animal models of OSDs, we provide a comprehensive suite of efficacy and mechanistic evaluation services to characterize therapeutic effects and support preclinical ophthalmic research.

Service Category	Available Services
Ocular Surface Assessment	Corneal and conjunctival fluorescein staining with standardized scoring Tear production measurement Tear film stability evaluation Corneal sensitivity assessment
Tear Film and Gland Function	Tear film quality and lipid layer assessment Meibomian gland morphology and function evaluation Lacrimal gland histopathology and inflammation scoring
Imaging-Based Structural Evaluation	Slit-lamp and anterior segment photography for longitudinal documentation Anterior segment optical coherence tomography (OCT) for corneal and conjunctival structural evaluation
Cellular and Molecular Profiling	Histology and immunohistochemistry for goblet cell density, epithelial changes, fibrosis, and neovascularization Quantification of cytokines, chemokines, matrix metalloproteinases, and other soluble biomarkers in tears and ocular tissues Gene expression analysis for pathways related to inflammation, barrier function, and stress responses

Current therapeutic strategies for OSDs continue to rely largely on lubrication and modulation of inflammation and immunity, highlighting the need for robust preclinical animal models that recapitulate key ocular surface mechanisms and support ophthalmic drug development. By combining customized animal models of OSDs with multidimensional efficacy and mechanistic readouts, Ace Therapeutics provides preclinical evaluation services for assessment of innovative ophthalmic therapeutics targeting ocular surface diseases. Please contact us to discuss your specific objectives and explore how our customized OSD animal models can support your next preclinical project.

References

Roshandel D, Semnani F, Damavandi AR, et al. Genetic predisposition to ocular surface disorders and opportunities for gene-based therapies. Ocul Surf. 2023 Jul; 29: 150-165.
Hong M, Tong L, Mehta JS, et al. Impact of Exposomes on Ocular Surface Diseases. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jul 10; 24(14): 11273.
Galletti JG, de Paiva CS. The Ocular Surface Immune System through the Eyes of Aging. Ocul Surf. 2021 Apr; 20: 139-162.

For Research Use Only.