Preclinical Core

Our goal is to provide,  to the greatest extent possible, a 360 degree assessment of the efficacy of your drug or therapeutic approach. Such a characterization can include state-of-the-art in vivo disease models to assess the effects of your drug as prophylaxis or treatment of a disease.  We can complement these integrative approaches with more reductionist studies, including relevant tissue- and cell- based studies (discussed for each disease in the Disease Models section).

For in vivo studies, we can accommodate or design various drug delivery methods, be they oral, inhalation, intraperitoneal, transdermal, etc. Longitudinal studies with continuous data collection, emphasizing non-invasive measurements, are possible depending on study objectives.  Recovery-from insult studies are also available for most disease models.

Complementary genetic, pharmacological, and molecular strategies to drug assessment in in vivo, ex vivo, and in vitro models. Layering in additional variables into in vivo, tissue-, and cell- based studies can be accomplished through multiple strategies.  Combination therapies or drug add-ons are often easily accommodated in all types of experiments.  Use of various genetically modified mice is also accommodated assuming the effects of genetic manipulation on baseline phenotype are established. Virus-mediated delivery (e.g., AAV-assisted) can be employed for specific disease protocols. Genetic (tissue or cells from transgenic, knockout, or knock-in mice) or molecular biology (infection, transfection, CRISPR) strategies can also be employed for most experiment using isolated tissue and cells.  Each of these strategies offers the potential to provide additional mechanistic insight into the actions of drug in a disease model.