Ex vivo Porcine Eye Toxicity Test for Consumer Products

Wayne State University
posted on 01/27/2012

Ex vivo Porcine Eye Toxicity Test for Consumer Products

Case ID:

11-1008

Description:

Fu-Shin Yu Ph.D., Keping Xu M.D.

Departments of Ophthalmology and Anatomy & Cell Biology

School of Medicine @ Wayne State University

Background:

Wayne State researchers have devised an ex vivo test for measuring the toxicity of chemicals in the eye. It is based on organ cultured of porcine eyes in a defined in vitro environment. Outputs from the test allow for identification of the degree of toxicity to the eye for chemical testing. The test is an improvement over the Draize eye irritation test that has been used for over fifty years assessing the safety of commercial products. The approach entails a proprietary process of preparing and wounding porcine corneas, introducing the foreign amount and measuring the amount of healing rate as an end point of toxicity.

Competitive Advantage:

· Test indicate reduced variability, improved cycle time, and reduction in cost from the traditional Draize test

· The corneas (representing 75% of the Draize score) are the targeted organs

· Utilizes fresh eyes from slaughterhouses, as such method is economical and easily standardized

Commercial Applications:

Possible commercial uses include:

· To assess the irritancy and toxicity of commercial products including drugs, cosmetics, home and automobile care products, or bulk chemicals

· Application in assisting cosmetics, skin care, and eye care firms to screen compounds for potential toxicity in the product development process

· To predict if a chemical, solvent, or combination of substances can be used to make cosmetics

· Useful in research environments where animal testing is discouraged or banned (e.g. Europe)

Publication(s):

Publication link: