Endpoint Preclinical Expands Ocular Therapeutics Expertise with Dr. Joshua Bartoe

August 28, 2026

With over 20 years of experience spanning academic ophthalmology, ocular toxicology, targeted drug delivery, and regulatory development, Dr. Bartoe strengthens Endpoint’s growing ophthalmology program with expertise that supports therapies from proof-of-concept through IND-enabling studies.

Endpoint Preclinical is pleased to welcome Dr. Joshua Bartoe, DVM, MS, DACVO, to our Expert Network. A board-certified veterinary ophthalmologist, Josh has spent more than two decades helping pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and contract research organizations advance novel ocular therapeutics through every stage of preclinical development. His career has combined academic research, specialty clinical practice, GLP safety assessment, and scientific leadership, giving him a broad perspective on the technical and regulatory challenges that accompany ophthalmic drug, gene therapy, cell therapy, and device development.
View Josh’s Profile.

Throughout his career, Josh has helped design ophthalmic studies that generate meaningful safety and efficacy data while remaining practical to execute. He has led ophthalmology services within large contract research organizations, served as Leader of Charles River’s Ocular Center of Excellence, and provided scientific oversight for GLP and non-GLP studies supporting IND submissions. His work routinely integrates advanced ophthalmic imaging, functional assessments, targeted ocular delivery techniques, and interpretation of ophthalmic safety findings into cohesive development programs that answer the questions sponsors need addressed before advancing a therapy. His experience is particularly deep in ocular gene and cell therapy, including targeted delivery and translational evaluation across a range of large-animal models.

“I’ve always enjoyed working at the point where innovative science begins transitioning into product development,” says Dr. Bartoe. “Veterinary ophthalmologists bring a unique combination of comparative biology, surgical expertise, and diagnostic capabilities that can help answer important development questions early. I enjoy working alongside research teams to design studies that generate meaningful data and help promising therapies move forward with confidence.”

Beyond study execution, Josh has built much of his career around developing people. During his decade on the faculty at Michigan State University, every ophthalmology resident he trained successfully passed the American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists board examination on their first attempt. He has also trained laboratory veterinarians, surgeons, technicians, research scientists, and study directors in ophthalmic examinations, imaging technologies, targeted delivery procedures, microsurgical techniques, and ocular data interpretation. His experience has shown him that well-designed studies depend just as much on standardized techniques and knowledgeable teams as they do on the technology itself.

“Josh brings exactly the type of depth we want to continue building within Endpoint’s ophthalmology team,” says Cole McLarty, CEO of Endpoint Preclinical. “His experience spans everything from targeted ocular delivery and advanced imaging to study design, GLP safety assessment, and regulatory interactions. Just as importantly, he has a genuine passion for mentoring research teams and helping sponsors make informed development decisions.”

His addition expands both the depth and bandwidth of our ophthalmology team, strengthening our ability to support clients from early study design and specialized ocular procedures through advanced data collection, interpretation, and IND-enabling safety assessment.

We are pleased to welcome Dr. Joshua Bartoe to Endpoint Preclinical.