Optimized Minimally Invasive Transscleral Subretinal Injection Technique in Mouse

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Retinal Surgery
• Gene Therapy Delivery

Background:

• Conventional subretinal injections in mice cause significant retinal damage.
• This damage introduces variability in functional outcome measures, complicating therapeutic assessments.
• Existing methods hinder the development of treatments for retinal and macular diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To optimize a minimally invasive transscleral subretinal injection technique in mice.
• To compare the functional and anatomical outcomes of this new technique against the conventional transretinal method.
• To establish a more reliable method for delivering therapeutics to the subretinal space.

Main Methods:

• Developed a transscleral injection technique accessing the superior fornix.
• Utilized a custom eyelid speculum, diamond knife for sclerotomy, and microinjection pump.
• Assessed subretinal bleb with optical coherence tomography (OCT) and retinal function via electroretinogram (ERG).

Main Results:

• Transscleral injection preserved retinal function, with ERG results comparable to uninjected controls.
• Conventional transretinal injections resulted in significant ERG signal reduction.
• The optimized technique minimized anatomical damage to the retina.

Conclusions:

• Optimized minimally invasive transscleral subretinal injection is a robust technique for mice.
• This method significantly reduces retinal damage and preserves visual function.
• It provides a more reliable platform for evaluating gene therapies for retinal diseases.