A Cleveland Clinic (Cleveland) research team has developed the first animal model of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) that will enable researchers to study the development and progression of AMD and conduct pre-clinical testing of new therapeutics.

The research team, led by Joe Hollyfield, PhD, of Cleveland Clinic's Cole Eye Institute, modified specific proteins found in mouse blood so that the mouse's immune system was forced to mount a response. This response causes the mouse to display characteristics of AMD in a short amount of time.

Kraton Polymers passes toxicology studies

Kraton Polymers (Houston) reported that it has taken a major step toward the commercialization of the MD6945 SEBS block co-polymer by successfully passing a full range of toxicology studies.

The toxicology studies were completed by an FDA-recognized independent laboratory using the testing requirements under the new international ISO standards, a more severe testing battery than the traditional USP Class VI biological reactivity tests.