Preclinical Studies
The Lead
Data Paints the Picture
May 15, 2012 9:18 am | by Carl-Johan Ivarsson, President; Qlucore, Lund, Sweden | Articles | Comments
For years, many scientists have asserted that research involving animals is essential for making important new discoveries, since experiments like these are invaluable for the understanding of health and disease.
Assessing Cardiac Toxicity Using Stem Cell-derived Cardiomyocytes
April 11, 2013 4:02 pm | by Oksana Sirenko, Research Scientist; Carole Crittenden, Application Scientist; Evan F. Cromwell, Director of Assay Development; Molecular Devices LLC, Sunnyvale, Calif. | Articles | CommentsPredicting the side effects of drugs remains one of the industry’s greatest challenges, with a large percentage of new drugs failing in clinical studies due to cardiac toxicity. The overall success rate from Phase 1 studies is only 11%, with 30% of these failing for safety reasons.
Bioluminescence and Fluorescence Imaging for Preclinical Cancer Research
February 21, 2013 2:13 pm | by Jeffrey D. Peterson, PhD, Director of Applied Biology; PerkinElmer, Boston, Mass. | Articles | CommentsThe most common metric used to assess tumor progression or response to treatment is the physical measurement of tumor length and width for the calculation of tumor volume. This approach is often hindered by the inherent inaccuracies and variability of hand calculation and is only useful for accessible subcutaneous tumors.
Bringing Stem Cells to the Forefront
August 10, 2012 10:15 am | by Mike May, Contributing Editor | News | CommentsStem cells offer unique opportunities for researchers to study the reaction of drugs applied to human tissues. Moreover, stem cells can model healthy or diseased states, as well as provide the ability to genetically modify cells before drug treatment.
Horizon, Bayer Collaborate on Cell Lines
July 17, 2012 11:54 am | News | CommentsHorizon Discovery signed an agreement with Bayer to develop preclinical cell line models that will support Bayer’s oncology research and development programs.
PDS Licenses Versamune to Merck KGaA
July 16, 2012 10:55 am | News | CommentsPDS Biotechnology has signed an agreement to allow Merck KGaA to use PDS's Versamune nanotechnology in two cancer immunotherapies that it is developing.
BMS Presents Oncology Portfolio at ASCO
June 1, 2012 9:03 am | News | CommentsBristol-Myers Squibb Co. will announce new data on its approved and investigational oncology compounds at the 48th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) from June 1-5.
2012 CRO-CMO Directory - Preclinical Services
May 22, 2012 5:49 pm | Articles | CommentsFind contract research organizations (CROs) for Preclinical Services in the 2012 CRO/CMO Directory, from Drug Discovery & Development magazine.
Transdermal Compound Testing
May 1, 2012 12:06 pm | Product Releases | CommentsEMD Millipore introduced the Strat-M membrane for screening compounds and formulations via in vitro diffusion studies. The synthetic membrane can be used in place of human or animal skin.
Modernizing Toxicology for Drug Development
April 12, 2012 3:07 pm | by Michael P. Holsapple, PhD, Senior Research Leader; Brian M. Roche, PhD, Manager; Kim Henderson, PhD, Gordon Battelle Post-doctoral Fellow; James M. Sonnett, PhD, Vice President; Battelle Center for Fundamental and Applied Systems Toxicology,Columbus, Ohio | News | CommentsThe current approaches to toxicity testing and safety assessment rely on a complex array of traditional studies that evaluate observable outcomes in whole animals, such as clinical signs or pathological changes that are indicative of a disease state.
RG7090 Effective in Animal Model
April 11, 2012 10:20 am | News | CommentsA study has demonstrated that chronic treatment of a mouse model of Fragile X syndrome with the Roche mGlu5 antagonist CTEP corrects a broad range of major phenotypes of the disease.
Nuron Licenses Alzheimer's Vaccine
April 10, 2012 12:06 pm | News | CommentsNuron Biotech Inc. announced it has licensed from Vitruvian BioMedical, Inc. a gene-based amyloid beta 42 vaccine in preclinical development for Alzheimer’s disease.
Building CNS Connections
March 22, 2012 5:06 pm | Digital Editions | CommentsVital Signs examines research in various phases of central nervous system disorders, including antibodies for research, computer-based simulations, drugs in development, and kits and instruments to speed the research process.
Modified Bone Drug Kills Malaria Parasites
February 28, 2012 11:57 am | News | CommentsA chemically altered osteoporosis drug may be useful in fighting malaria, researchers report in a new study. Unlike similar compounds tested against many other parasitic protozoa, the drug readily crosses into the red blood cells of malaria-infected mice and kills the malaria parasite.
Humanized Mice and Their Utility in Preclinical Research
February 24, 2012 12:00 pm | Webinars | CommentsThis webinar highlights the utility of these mouse models in antibody engineering, hematopoiesis, autoimmune diseases, and oncology research.
Selling the Cell
February 21, 2012 10:52 am | by Neil Canavan, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsTesting to assess the metabolic fate of an investigational compound has moved away from animal models for two reasons: it’s increasingly seen as unethical and it’s increasingly obvious that it doesn’t work.
Expanding the Reach of Lead Identification
January 24, 2012 10:15 am | by Mike May, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsWhen looking for the most promising leads, or compounds worth developing, drug researchers always seek new tools and techniques that enhance the odds of finding a marketable compound as soon as possible.
Pharmacovigilance Analytics Software
October 28, 2011 12:23 pm | Product Releases | CommentsOracle Health Sciences’ Pharmacovigilance Operational Analytics provides a 360-degree view of a safety organization's case processing operations.
R & D for Drug R & D
October 7, 2011 12:00 pm | by Rita C. Peters, Editorial Director | Articles | CommentsA sister publication—R&D Magazine—will present the 49th Annual R&D 100 Awards this month. Among the top technologies and processes introduced in 2010 are many with direct applications in life sciences and drug research.
Unlocking Productivity
October 6, 2011 10:41 am | by Joe Golemba, Vice President, Product Management and Content Management; Oracle, Redwood Shores, Calif. | Articles | CommentsWhether data mining at the drug discovery phase or prepping the sales team before a product launch, content management can play a key role in developing, organizing, and disseminating vital information.
Simulations vs. Cells in ADME/Tox
October 6, 2011 10:34 am | Articles | CommentsTo be an effective drug, a compound must possess the proper characteristics when it comes to how it is absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted—an area of pharmaceutical research known simply as ADME, and often combined with toxicology as ADME/Tox.
Software Tools Aid Real-time Small-Animal Imaging
September 12, 2011 6:38 am | by Santosh S. Arcot, PhD, Global Marketing Manager; Dustin R. Osborne, MS, Product Manager; Siemens Molecular Imaging, Hoffman Estates, Ill. | News | CommentsIn vivo imaging using small-animal models plays a critical role in research and discovery phases, and preclinical validation of new drug compounds prior to engaging in human trials.
Physiological Forces on the Lab Bench
September 9, 2011 12:08 pm | by Brett Blackman, PhD, Chief Science Officer; Brian Wamhoff, PhD, Vice President; HemoShear LLC, Charlottesville, Va. | Articles | CommentsAdvances in high-content screening for early drug discovery and development now allow for visualization of specific enzymatic activities in living cells in real-time or mapping an entire cell transcriptome via mRNA deep sequencing.
A Holistic Approach
August 1, 2011 10:39 am | by Ken Stuart, PhD, President and Founder; Seattle BioMed, Seattle | Articles | CommentsDramatic increases in the ability to measure biomolecules and biological traits, as well as increased capacity for computers to store and analyze this data, mean that it is now possible to understand diseases at the level of biological complexity at which they occur.
The Human Element in Toxicity Testing
August 1, 2011 10:27 am | by Vanessa Ott, Hepatocytes Product Manager; Blake Anson, Cardiomyocytes Product Manager; Cellular Dynamics International, Madison, Wisc. | Articles | CommentsCurrent in vitro cell models—such as animal cells, tumor cell lines, and cadaveric tissue—do not truly reflect human biology and have significant limitations in reproducibility and/or availability.
New Life for Old Drugs
July 29, 2011 7:41 am | by Ted Agres, Contributing Editor | Articles | CommentsThe resources required to bring a new drug to market are as well-known as they are staggering: upwards of $1.3 billion in costs, 10 to 15 years from target selection to approval, and an overall failure rate approaching 95%.
