Resources at the Ocular Research Center
The Ocular Research Center is the hub for our Ophthalmic activities, featuring a full-service wet lab, and decades of experience we offer a world leading scientific resource for vision researchers. Facilities include:
Tissue handling, grading, and preparation
Ocular tissue can be fixed at the site of recovery to ensure the best possible preservation, maintaining the integrity of the samples for subsequent analysis. We also provide custom dissection and stabilization for a wide range of projects, with death-to-preservation times averaging below 5 hours, ensuring high-quality specimens. Our advanced grading and imaging facilities utilize Brightfield and OCT modalities at the time of recovery to support disease-specific projects. With both in-house and external professional grading for AMD, Glaucoma, and anterior segment pathologies, you can be confident in the accuracy and reliability of your tissue assessments. Our comprehensive services are designed to meet the unique needs of each research project, providing high-quality ocular tissues and detailed imaging to advance your scientific endeavors.
Cell and tissue Genotyping and Phenotyping
We provide expert genotyping facilities through PCR and quantitative PCR modalities; these allow us to provide validated cells and tissues to the research community. Our state-of-the-art equipment and stringent quality control processes ensure the accuracy and reliability of our genotyping services. In addition to genotyping, we offer a variety of phenotyping options including ELISA, proliferation, toxicity, and fluorescence-based assays. These comprehensive phenotyping services bring confidence to researchers by delivering precise and reproducible results. Our experienced staff is committed to supporting the diverse needs of the scientific community, enabling researchers to focus on their groundbreaking work with assurance in the quality of their biological materials and data.
Contract Research Organization (CRO) services
The LWVI has a long history of supporting the individual needs of researchers and research groups. We offer a complete CRO portfolio at all stages of the preclinical pipeline, including assay development, in vitro and ex vivo testing, data analysis, study design, and reporting. Our team of experienced scientists and technicians are dedicated to ensuring the highest quality and precision in all our services. With state-of-the-art facilities and cutting-edge technology, we strive to accelerate the research process and help bring innovative solutions to market more efficiently. Additionally, we provide personalized project management to ensure each research initiative is tailored to meet specific goals and timelines.
Histology and Staining
Our histology suite and imaging facility enables us to rapidly preserve tissue, providing researchers with ready access to both disease and control samples. We offer a comprehensive histology service, both in-house and in collaboration with the Moffitt Cancer Center. Our facility is equipped to produce slides, cryosections, tissue microarrays, and preserved blocks for all encountered pathologies, with particular expertise in ocular histology and pathology. Our skilled technicians ensure meticulous handling and preparation of samples, allowing for high-quality analysis and reliable results. We also provide fluorescent and brightfield microscopy services to visualize your protein of interest. By leveraging our advanced histology and imaging capabilities, researchers can focus on their studies with confidence in the integrity and precision of their specimens.
Candidate gene and drug validation
LWVI offers several methods to validate small molecules and gene delivery platforms in human samples, ensuring the robustness and potential clinical efficacy of these therapeutic candidates. Our long-term retinal cultures are ideal for gene targeting and small molecule validation, allowing researchers to conduct studies in human explant cultures for up to 28 days. We also provide ocular permeability assays, aqueous outflow dynamics monitoring, and a variety of drug delivery testing and validation techniques. These services give researchers confidence that their candidates will perform effectively in a clinical setting. Our comprehensive validation processes are designed to support the development of innovative treatments, ensuring that each candidate is thoroughly tested and optimized for human use.
Off the shelf research material
The LWVI maintains an expansive biobank of validated human primary cell lines from all ocular tissues and pathologies, providing a valuable resource for researchers. We also offer primary cell derivation services for projects requiring in vitro testing, ensuring high-quality and relevant cellular models. Additionally, we host a diverse collection of frozen and fixed ocular tissues that can be accessed to rapidly test or generate hypotheses related to ocular pathologies. Our “LWVI dissection” technique is the perfect solution for studying ocular disease pathologies, offering insights from a diverse and real-world dataset. With our comprehensive biobank and specialized services, researchers can confidently pursue their investigations into ocular diseases, supported by high-quality human samples.
Contact
For further information please contact our team: Research@LWVI.org
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