Reconstructed Human Cornea-Like Epithelium (Ocular Models)
The four corneal models named in OECD TG 492, each with a different published pass mark and batch release range.
| Category | Ready-to-Use 3D Tissue Models |
|---|---|
| Unit | One kit of tissues (kit size supplier-defined) or one contract study |
| Lead time | 1-4 weeks against the supplier's production calendar |
| Pricing | By quotation |
| Provenance | Partner manufactured |
| Data current | 2026-09-03 |
Description
Living reconstructed human cornea-like epithelium for eye hazard identification, and the separate corneal biology models that sit outside the guideline. Four commercially available models are named in the current OECD Test Guideline 492 and each carries a different cut-off, so a result quoted without naming the model and the protocol is not interpretable: EpiOcular OCL-200 (MatTek) passes a chemical as No Category above 60 percent mean tissue viability under both protocols; SkinEthic HCE/S (EPISKIN) above 60 percent for liquids and 50 percent for solids; LabCyte CORNEA-MODEL24 (J-TEC) above 40 percent; MCTT HCE above 35 percent for liquids and 60 percent for solids. This is also the only tissue category on this catalogue with an externally set, publicly enforceable batch release specification, because TG 492 publishes the acceptance ranges the tissue developer must meet: EpiOcular ET50 between 12.2 and 37.5 minutes on 100 microlitres of 0.3 percent Triton X-100; SkinEthic HCE IC50 between 1.0 and 3.2 mg/mL on 30 minutes with 50 microlitres SDS; LabCyte IC50 between 1.0 and 4.0 mg/mL; MCTT HCE ET50 between 17.6 and 41.0 minutes. The guideline states compliance data should be provided by the developer to the test method user for the test report, so the batch certificate is a requirement rather than a courtesy. Two limits matter commercially. The methods identify chemicals that do not require classification; a result at or below the cut-off yields no prediction, and the guideline says so in those terms. And borderline results have a defined repeat procedure, so a chemical landing near the cut-off is a two or three run chemical, which is the arithmetic that breaks screens budgeted at one tissue per compound against a two-replicate minimum plus controls. For ophthalmic delivery, wound healing or infection work the model changes: MatTek catalogues EpiCorneal separately for exactly those applications, and outside the guideline there is no published acceptance criterion at all. No supplier of a corneal model publishes a price.
Why this is hard to buy today
The same 45 percent viability result is 'no prediction' on EpiOcular and 'No Category, no further testing required' on LabCyte CORNEA-MODEL24, so choosing the supplier is choosing the pass mark, and switching models mid-programme destroys comparability with everything already run.
Price evidence
No supplier of a reconstructed corneal or ocular tissue model publishes a price. All four TG 492 model developers and their distributors were checked on 2026-09-01 and every route is quote only; we do not estimate one.
These are supplier list prices we located and recorded, not a quotation from Wetware World. Your price depends on quantity, specification and freight, and is only binding once issued in writing.
What you must specify
A quote cannot be produced without these. Anything you leave open, a supplier will assume, usually expensively.
| # | Parameter |
|---|---|
| 01 | Which of the four TG 492 test methods, which fixes the cut-off, the protocol and the viability dye |
| 02 | Liquids or solids protocol, since exposure time and, for two models, the cut-off both change |
| 03 | Batch ET50 or IC50 measured value and its position within the published acceptance range |
| 04 | Written confirmation that production release criteria were met, supplied for the test report |
| 05 | Tissue count arithmetic: chemicals x 2 replicates + controls per run + contingency for borderline repeats |
| 06 | Kit size and format, and whether partial kits are available |
| 07 | Delivery date against the production calendar and shelf life on arrival |
| 08 | Whether the chemical is coloured or MTT-interfering, which changes the readout route |
| 09 | For research rather than regulatory use: actual cell source and validated culture duration |
| 10 | Whether the buyer wants tissue or the assay run as a contract study |
Quality documentation
Typically available with this item. What actually ships is confirmed on the quotation, per supplier.
- Lot release testing by the manufacturer against the TG 492 acceptance range
- Measured ET50 or IC50 for the delivered batch
- Histology confirming at least three layers of viable epithelial cells and a non-keratinised surface
- Barrier and containment function per the guideline requirement
Candidate suppliers
Organisations we have identified as capable. Listing does not imply a partnership, an endorsement, or that they have agreed to quote.
| Organisation | Basis for inclusion |
|---|---|
| MatTek (Sartorius) | Ships living, metabolically active 3D human epithelial tissue. The 2025 EpiDerm technical specification establishes the house pattern across the range: standard kit of 24 tissues, 9 mm and 22 mm inserts plus 96-well HTS, shipped at 4 C on medium-supplemented agarose gels on a fixed weekly cadence, shelf life of days including transit. No public price on any tissue SKU. |
| EPISKIN | Publishes the model range and application mapping for SkinEthic HCE (corneal), HGE (gingival), HO2E (oesophageal), HBE (bladder), HVE (vaginal) and the RHE epidermis family, with small, medium and large formats plus HTS 24-well and 96-well plates. Specifications published, no pricing. Captured 2026-09-01. |
| IIVS | Contract laboratory offering the OECD TG 492 Eye Irritation Test as a service using reconstructed human corneal epithelium models, which for small compound sets is usually cheaper than buying tissue and running it in-house. No published price. |
Sources
- https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/test-no-492-reconstructed-human-cornea-like-epithelium-rhce-test-method-for-identifying-chemicals-not-requiring-classification-and-labelling-for-eye-irritation-or-serious-eye-damage_9789264242548-en.html
- https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/test-no-492b-reconstructed-human-cornea-like-epithelium-rhce-test-method-for-eye-hazard-identification_0d603916-en.html
- https://www.mattek.com/mattek-product/epiocular/
- https://www.mattek.com/application/eye-irritation-test-oecd-492/
- https://www.episkin.com/SkinEthic-RHE
- https://iivs.org/assays/ocular/eye-irritation-test/
doc WW-TM-22013 · rev 2026-09-03 · research use only · prices indicative and not binding until quoted in writing