Keratitis Drug Discovery Service

As a leader in the field of ophthalmology, Creative Biolabs has long been committed to the exploration of the mechanism of keratitis. With extensive experience and an advanced platform, Creative Biolabs is confident to provide customers all over the world with the best one-stop service for keratitis research to meet your unique needs.

Introduction of Keratitis

Keratitis, also known as corneal inflammation, is one of the common eye diseases characterized by partial or total loss of vision. Typical symptoms of Keratitis mainly include red eyes, vision changes, such as blurriness or inability to see, excessive tearing and eye discharge. Many factors are closely associated with keratitis. For example, improper contact lens wear and eye injuries contribute to a high risk of keratitis. In addition, decreased immunity also increases the probability of infectious keratitis. Notably, noninfectious keratitis can be induced by a minor injury and prolonged contact lens wear while infectious keratitis can be caused by microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites.

Fig.1 Anatomy of the human eye. (Vadlapudi, 2012)

Therapeutic Strategies

• Bacterial keratitis (BK)

BK can lead to corneal ulcers, and subsequent perforation can have serious effects on vision. The primary means of treatment are topical antibiotics. A carbonized nanogel (CNG) synthesized from biological quercetin (Qu) and lysine (Lys) has been reported to have great potential for BK therapy. Furthermore, the strategy of shrouding antimicrobial peptides in DNA nanocarriers has yielded exciting results.

• Fungal keratitis (FK)

FK is more toxic and destructive than BK. Medication is a common modality for FK. In addition, corneal curettage has also been proposed as a surgical treatment strategy for FK, as removal of the superficial epithelial layer is beneficial in increasing the penetration of antifungal drugs.

• Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK)

Treatment of AK is based on the eradication of the cyst from the cornea. The most effective drugs are biguanide preservatives, which work by inhibiting membrane function. It is worth noting that surgical methods such as corneal cryotherapy, amniotic membrane transplantation or penetrating keratoplasty also play a crucial role in the treatment of AK.

Models of Keratitis

• In Vivo Models

In vivo modeling involves the use of live animals. Many animal models have been reported, such as rat, rabbit and mouse models. Although mouse corneas are smaller in size, they contain more layers of corneal epithelial cells than human corneas, making them more popular.

• In Vitro Infection Models

In vitro models to study corneal resorption have attracted a lot of attention. Importantly, optimized cell culture techniques are transferable to in vitro infection models. Such models provide powerful tools for studying host-pathogen interactions on the corneal epithelial surface.

• Ex Vivo Models

In vitro studies rely on intact corneas preserved in an artificial environment. Due to the limited availability of human corneas, animal corneas are often used. For example, models used to study bacterial keratitis include mice, rabbits, goats, cows, and pigs.

Services for Keratitis Research

• In Vitro Services
• In Vivo Services
• Ex Vivo Services
• Discovery Services
• Development Services
• Mechanism of Action (MoA) Studies

Please feel free to contact us to discuss your plans, we will provide cost-effective customized services and reasonable solutions.

Reference

1. Vadlapudi, A. D.; et al. Recent patents on emerging therapeutics for the treatment of glaucoma, age related macular degeneration and uveitis. Recent patents on biomedical engineering. 2012, 5(1): 83.