10035984Development of a world-leading preclinical drug development company specialising in ophthalmology through innovative state-of-the-art preclinical models and expert provision of data interpretation.ClosedCollaborative R&DInnovate UKDiabetic Retinopathy (DR) and Age-related macular degeneration (AMD), termed retinal disease herein, are the leading cause of vision loss worldwide, affecting over 300 million people. Current treatment strategies for retinal disease are limited, with poor efficacy observed in late-stage clinical trials of promising drugs. This is attributed to poor preclinical models of disease. Over 50% of the total research and development (R&D) by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies is outsourced. Extensive market research conducted during ICURe, revealed key factors contributing to substandard preclinical drug development. These included: outdated and inappropriate preclinical models; suboptimal study design; a lack of collaborative data interpretation; a lack of technical quality and a poor customer service provision. MediNect builds on 30 years' intensive R&D of preclinical models in retinal disease to deliver state-of-the-art models that target disease features currently not available to the market. MediNect has a wealth of technical and interpretive know-how, which provides optimal study design, practical technique and data interpretation. MediNect will function as a company to offer a collaborative approach to preclinical drug development, with access to test novel drugs in ten well-established models of retinal disease and two novel models. Validated to industry standard, the diabetic macular ischaemia (DMI) and sub-retinal fibrosis (SRF) model will be used to give greater insight into novel drugs targeting late-stage retinal disease, respectively. Our novel models are superior to current methods that use models that replicate early-stage disease features. In addition, MediNect has a catalogue of five state-of-the-art genetically modified models and five in development that target unmet areas of retinal disease features that are superior to current methods and will cement MediNect's position as market leaders in ophthalmology drug development research. MediNect's team of world leading experts and researchers will be complimented by a gold-standard client-focused offering to deliver oncology-CRO standard communication streams, study planning providing greater insight into drug development. MediNect will help the urgent need for development of better vision-restoring drugs, helping 60 million people worldwide suffering from late-stage retinal disease.