Iris Pharma, a world leader CRO specialized in ophthalmology, announced the validation of the Endotoxin-Induced Uveitis (EIU) model, a new model of ocular inflammation. This model has been developed by Iris Pharma in albino rats to evaluate the efficacy of pharmaceutical products for the treatment of anterior uveitis and other inflammatory diseases in the eye.

Anterior uveitis is the inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, which includes the iris and the adjacent ciliary body. Of uncertain aetiology, it is associated with a wide variety of systemic disorders in human. It is the most common form of uveitis, accounting for 75 per cent of all cases.

In the EIU model, uveitis is induced by lipopolysaccharides (LPS), which are endotoxins found in the bacterial cell outer wall. Cell number and protein concentration in the aqueous humour begin to increase 6 hours after the endotoxin injection and reach a peak at 24 hours before gradually decreasing. Product efficacy is evaluated clinically with a slit lamp and by measuring cellular infiltration and protein concentration in the aqueous humor, and gauged against clinically proven references such as dexamethasone, methyl-prednisolone or ketorolac.

“This model further strengthens the broad collection of ocular inflammation models we already offer and have recently enriched with the Experimental Autoimmune Uveitis (EAU) model, a model of T-cell-driven panuveitis”, said Dr Pierre-Paul Elena, CEO and Founder of Iris Pharma. “The new EIU model provides the possibility to investigate anti-inflammatory drugs that mainly act on the recruitment of inflammatory cells such as polymorphonuclear cells or macrophages. This model can also serve to generate proof-of-concept for other inflammatory diseases.”

EIU has proven to be a useful model for the study of acute and subacute anterior ocular inflammation in humans.

Iris Pharma is an independent CRO that specializes in preclinical and clinical research in the field of ophthalmology and offers its services and expertise in the development of ophthalmic drugs and ocular medical devices to the pharmaceutical industry and biotechnology companies around the world.