Dr. Joshua Bartoe is a board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist with more than two decades of experience advancing ophthalmic therapeutics from early research through GLP safety assessment and IND-enabling development. Throughout his career, he has partnered with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and contract research organizations to design ophthalmic studies, perform specialized surgical procedures, and generate the imaging, functional, and safety data needed to support novel ocular therapies. His expertise spans ocular toxicology, gene and cell therapy, ophthalmic devices, and targeted drug delivery across a wide range of preclinical species.

Josh approaches ophthalmic development through thoughtful collaboration to answer the scientific and regulatory questions that determine whether a therapeutic is ready to advance. Drawing on experience across ophthalmic drugs, gene therapies, and medical devices, he helps research teams generate clinically meaningful data, interpret complex findings with confidence, and efficiently navigate the path toward regulatory submission.

• Ocular Therapeutic Development: Supporting the preclinical development of ophthalmic drugs, biologics, gene therapies, cell therapies, and medical devices by applying comparative ophthalmology principals to evaluate delivery strategies, biological responses, and translational relevance. Experienced in helping sponsors advance novel therapeutics from proof-of-concept through GLP safety assessment and IND-enabling development.
• Targeted Ocular Drug Delivery & Microsurgery: Extensive experience performing specialized anterior and posterior segment procedures, including intravitreal, subretinal, suprachoroidal, and intracameral injections, as well as device implantation techniques across various species.
• Advanced Ophthalmic Imaging & Functional Assessment: Acquiring, analyzing, and interpreting comprehensive ophthalmic datasets using slit-lamp biomicroscopy, indirect ophthalmoscopy, OCT, confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, wide-field fundus imaging, electroretinography (ERG), visual evoked potentials (VEP), tonometry, pachymetry, and standardized ocular scoring systems.
• GLP Ocular Safety & Regulatory Strategy: Providing scientific leadership for GLP and non-GLP ophthalmic studies through protocol development, regulatory interactions, quality assurance, contributing scientist reports, and interpretation of ophthalmic safety findings that support successful IND submissions.
• Ophthalmic Study Design & Scientific Consulting: Partnering with sponsors to develop scientifically rigorous ophthalmic studies by advising on protocol design, endpoint selection, model selection, imaging and functional assessment strategies, and overall study feasibility. Provides practical guidance that helps research teams generate meaningful data while supporting informed scientific and development decisions.
• Training & Technical Mentorship: Training ophthalmologists, laboratory veterinarians, surgeons, technicians, and research teams in ophthalmic examinations, targeted ocular delivery, advanced imaging technologies, microsurgical techniques, and ocular data interpretation. Recognized for successfully mentoring veterinary ophthalmology residents and developing specialized training programs for the preclinical research community.

Josh is passionate about helping innovative ophthalmic therapies successfully navigate the transition from scientific concept to clinical development. He believes veterinary ophthalmologists bring a unique combination of comparative biology, surgical expertise, advanced diagnostic capabilities, and translational insight that is essential for developing safe and effective ocular therapeutics. Whether designing a study, mentoring a research team, or interpreting complex ophthalmic data, Josh is driven by scientific rigor, thoughtful collaboration, and a commitment to helping clients achieve successful regulatory and development outcomes.

Experimental Design
Surgical
Data Collection
Data Analysis
Interpretation
Report Generation
Regulatory & Compliance
Risk Assessment
Training Services
Product Development

Slit-Lamp Biomicroscopy
Indirect Ophthalmoscopy
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
Confocal Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy (cSLO)
Wide-Field Color Fundus Imaging
Electroretinography (ERG)
Visual Evoked Potentials (VEP)
Tonometry
Pachymetry
Operating Microscopes
Vitreoretinal Surgical Systems
Ocular Microsurgical Instrumentation