Development of an in vitro assay to evaluate veterinary ophthalmologic therapies.

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Veterinary drugs to treat eye diseases in dogs represent a large and growing market sector throughout North America. Eye problems are common in animals, and effective medical management of these conditions often requires repeated treatment with specific medications. The development of new medications is a key area for future market growth with significant potential to provide high-value employment opportunities for Canadians in pharmacy, manufacturing and sales/marketing. Significant economic benefits are also likely to accrue through growth at veterinary clinics following the development and implementation of new therapies. Presently, the development of new veterinary drugs is hampered to some extent by the relative lack of non-invasive (ie. without actual animal testing) methods to assess whether cells from the dog eye will be damaged by candidate drugs, and whether such drugs will be effective. This proposal, if successful, will seek to develop assays using cultured corneal cells isolated previously, with which the safety and effectiveness of prospective eye medications (under development or already in use in humans) can be easily determined without invasive testing. Cells will be grown in culture dishes in a manner that mimics the structure and function of the normal dog cornea. The cultures will be subjected to physical or chemical insults that model the types of injuries or diseases suffered naturally by dogs. The cultures will then be treated with different test medications to determine whether or not the rate and quality of healing is improved, and whether the cells are further damaged by the candidate drug treatment. The development of an effective assay for the assessment of eye drugs in dogs should significantly enhance the potential for drug development by the industry partner (Merck) and could substantially enhance Canadian participation in this market sector.