Frequently Asked Questions

The start date depends on several factors:
1. Test article delivery. The study can only begin once the test article has been delivered to our facility.
2. Animal procurement. It typically takes a minimum of 2 weeks for animals to arrive to our facilities, plus minimum 1 week of acclimatisation before use.
3. Regulatory/ethical approval. If the study involves a new animal model or GMO strain, a new biosafety/ethics permit is required, or an existing one must be updated; this takes approximately 2 months.
4. Study complexity and scale. Smaller studies usually can begin as soon as the test article and animals are in-house; larger or more complex studies require more detailed planning and at least 1 month of preparation time.

The study deliverables are agreed upon with the Sponsor before the study begins. As standard, we provide individual animal data for all evaluated readouts, along with representative images from each treatment group where applicable. If images from every individual sample are required, this can be accommodated but should be agreed upon during study planning.

We routinely work with mice and rats (both albino and pigmented), and with rabbits.

Yes. Each of our sites have an inhouse full-time Designated Veterinarian.

Rodents are group-housed in Individually Ventilated Cages (IVCs), and rabbits are single- or pair-housed in cages (not pens).

Yes. Each site has its own Animal Welfare Body (AWB), in accordance with Directive 2010/63/EU; the two AWBs have close collaboration.

Yes. However, the health status of the colony must be reviewed and approved by our Designated Veterinarians prior to acceptance. For transgenic animals, a risk assessment of the strain is also required.

We specialize in ophthalmic administration routes such as topical, intravitreal, subretinal, subconjunctival, suprachoroidal and systemic (e.g., intravenous, oral gavage) administration.

In adult mice, we typically administer 0.5-1 µl of test article. In rats, the volume is 2-5 µl.

Typical volumes are: adult mice, up to 2 µl; adult rats, up to 5 µl; adult rabbits, up to 100 µl.

Yes. We have experienced histology teams and fully equipped laboratories (processing and imaging) that routinely perform tissue cryosectioning, paraffin embedding and sectioning, histological stains (e.g. H&E, PAS), immunohistochemistry, and qualitative and quantitative staining analysis.

We recommend unbiased quantification (stereology) of RGCs on retinal flatmounts. Semi-quantitative analysis is also available.

We do not perform bioanalytical assays in-house; however, we can arrange this for Sponsors through our trusted local partners.

We immunostain retinal flatmounts or retinal sections with antibodies against RNA-binding protein with multiple splicing (RBPMS) or brain-specific homeobox/POU domain protein 3A (BRN3A).

A wide range of ocular tissues can be collected, including cornea, aqueous humor, vitreous humor, lens, iris–ciliary body, retina, retinal pigment epithelium cells, choroid, sclera, and optic nerve. These tissues can be processed for pharmacokinetic (PK)/biodistribution analysis, histological evaluation, or biomarker assessment, depending on study objectives.

Yes. ELISA, qPCR and Western Blotting are routinely performed in our laboratories.

Yes. We perform fluorescence in situ hybridization and stricter RNA transcripts labelling with RNAscope technology.

We recommend performing intravitreal injections at P13. In our experience, injections at P12 can be associated with a substantial vehicle-related effect that can complicate interpretation of treatment-specific responses.

We recommend at least 10 animals per treatment group.

1. Inadequate intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation
2. Corneal opacity or edema
3. Reduced ocular transparency

1. In vivo imaging (spectral-domain optical coherence tomography; SD-OCT)
2. Electroretinography (mainly pattern ERG)
3. Optomotor response testing (visual acuity and contrast sensitivity)
4. Vitreous fluorophotometry (for rats)

We recommend weekly assessments, or at minimum a baseline and an end-of-study assessment.

Through extensive pilot studies, we have fine-tuned the model to produce a moderate in-life clinical score in the majority of animals.

Full development takes 12 weeks after intravitreal administration of DL-AAA. In some cases, we may already have induced animals in-house; please contact us for details.

Systemic administration of sodium iodate reliably induces retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) damage and subsequent photoreceptor degeneration in both rodents and rabbits.

The in-life phase is typically 7 days from the time of blue light damage induction. However, if gene therapy is included in the study, we recommend injecting the vector prior to induction to maximize transduction.

Yes, we partner with the largest commercial providers to import transgenic lines for retinitis pigmentosa studies.

DMSO concentration is dependent on the cell type, exposure time, down-stream analysis and assays used.

In general,
<0.5% is relatively well tolerated
>0.5% substantial effects on e.g. gene expression, ROS formation. Matched DMSO vehicle control group needs to be included in the experiment.
>1% is not generally recommended

The amount of test article required depends on the study design, assay type, concentration range, number of replicates, and any additional analyses planned. The exact quantity should be determined during study planning. However, due to the small volumes and concentrations typically used in in vitro assays, approximately 1-3 mg of test article is often sufficient to achieve concentrations suitable for in vitro testing.

Our GLP facility in Kuopio, Finland, is currently under implementation. GLP studies will begin once the facility has been included in the national GLP compliance monitoring programme, which we are targeting for 2027. We are building our GLP service offering around our established ocular expertise, and early discussions let us agree on study designs, timelines and slot availability well before the facility opens. Feel free to contact us now.

Yes. Our GLP services are built on the same ocular models, species, imaging methods and electroretinography (ERG) capabilities and expertise you already use in your non-GLP studies. You can progress from efficacy to GLP toxicology with Experimentica, keeping continuity in models, methods and data.