Advantages of In Vitro Corneal Tissue Models

Most ophthalmic drugs are applied topically, with the transcorneal route as the main administration route. Therefore, the assessment of corneal drug penetration is crucial for the development of effective ophthalmic drugs. Animal corneas are currently the only advanced models available that improve drug attrition rates. Interspecies differences in anatomy and physiology may account for the poor transferability of preclinical results to clinical trials, prompting researchers to design better corneal equivalents. Animal models differ from humans in several ways and are subject to ethical constraints. In vitro corneal models are expected to address the limitations that severely limit animal in vivo experiments. In addition, in vitro corneal tissue models have unique advantages in studying cell interactions. These include the ability to simplify complex in vivo environments, use human cells, compare with animals and humans research is cost-effective, and designed for high-throughput analysis.

Fig. 1. Relevant disease areas and the main model systems actually used for evaluating efficacy and/or safety of drugs and nutraceutical products. (Citi V, et al., 2020)

Service Overview

The cornea is a crucial obstacle to consider when developing ophthalmic products, but modeling this multilayered tissue remains a challenge. Ace Therapeutics' corneal tissue experts are committed to developing representative corneal tissue models to test the pharmacological properties of drug candidates in order to reduce the high attrition rate of drugs at the preclinical stage. The in vitro corneal tissue models developed by our team of talented experts make it possible to accurately simulate the in vivo properties of corneal tissue.

Explore Our Capabilities

At Ace Therapeutics, you will benefit from our advanced in vitro corneal models and team of talented experts. Thanks to our in-depth understanding of in vitro corneal tissue models, our highly qualified researchers offer the following in vitro corneal tissue model development services:

• Conventional 2D Models

Ace Therapeutics constructs bioengineered human corneas using primary or immortalized human cells derived from the cornea, retina, and conjunctiva. We offer three in vitro models of epithelial cells, stromal cells and endothelial cells. In addition, we also provide animal cell cultures (pig keratocytes, rabbit keratocytes) as tools for toxicology and pharmacology evaluation and screening of ophthalmic products.

• Advanced 3D Models

In order to compensate for the possible inaccuracies of traditional 2D models and the interspecies differences arising from the use of animal models, Ace Therapeutics is committed to developing a 3D model of the human cornea, that is, normal human cells grown on an inert polycarbonate insert to simulate the appearance of the human cornea 3D models. The 3D model of the human cornea developed by us can be used to evaluate corneal penetration of ophthalmic drugs. In addition, our human corneal 3D model can also simulate the dry eye model in vitro by means of the treatment of certain reagents (sorbitol).

With our deep expertise in in vitro corneal tissue models and highly qualified researchers, Ace Therapeutics provides a full range of in vitro corneal tissue model development services to clients worldwide. In addition, we also provide corneal penetration testing services. If you are interested in our services or need more detailed information, please feel free to contact us. Our experienced scientists are ready to help you!

References

1. Citi V, Piragine E, Brogi S, et al. Development of In Vitro Corneal Models: Opportunity for Pharmacological Testing. Methods Protoc. 2020;3(4):74.
2. MeenenJV, Sorcha Ní Dhubhghaill, Bert Van den Bogerd,et al. An Overview of Advanced In Vitro Corneal Models: Implications for Pharmacological Testing. Tissue Engineering Part B. 2022 28:3, 506-516

• Corneal Stroma Material Development Services

• * Name:
• Phone:
• * Email:
• * Services or Products of Interest:
• Project Description:
• * All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.

  * Tick to confirm the Research Use Only (RUO) statement.

• Submit