Abstract
Purpose :
The mouse is an important species for the development of gene therapies because transgenic disease models are often available. Mouse eyes however are susceptible to complications associated with the subretinal injection procedure because of their small size and relatively large lens. Cataracts induced during the injection impact the ability to assess the posterior segment. It was hypothesized that altering the injection method from transcorneal to transcleral may reduce the incidence of procedure-related complications.
Methods :
Control animal data from all preclinical toxicology studies with subretinal dosing in mice was retrospectively analyzed from March 2014 to July 2022. C57BL/6 mice received subretinal injections using either a transcorneal or transcleral method. Ophthalmic examinations were conducted one week following injections.
Results :
Transcorneal subretinal injections were completed for 299 mice and transcleral injections were completed for 79 mice. One week following injections, approximately 80% of mice injected with the transcorneal method and 10% injected with the transcleral method were observed with cataracts. The number of fundi that could not be scored was 8.4% for transcorneal injections and 3.8% for transcleral injections.
Conclusions :
Transcleral subretinal injections have a greatly reduced incidence of cataracts. The reduction of cataracts in test animals allows for clinical and functional assessment of test article effects.
This abstract was presented at the 2024 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Seattle, WA, May 5-9, 2024.