Developing Animal Models in Ocular Oncology

Retinoblastoma and uveal melanoma, the two most common primary intraocular malignancies in children and adults, are extremely rare, limiting the ability to perform large-scale clinical trials in humans. Pre-clinical animal models allow the exploration of genetic driver mutations in tumor development and metastasis as well as testing of chemotherapeutics and other treatment modalities. There are three types of pre-clinical animal models including: (1) xenografts, (2) knock-out models, and (3) transgenic models. This chapter will explore the benefits and limitations of existing pre-clinical animal models for retinoblastoma, uveal melanoma, and briefly adenoid cystic carcinoma. Additionally, two pre-clinical animal models exploring the effects of intra-arterial chemotherapy technique and drug choice on the eye are reviewed.