BASi says "reduced-stress" animal testing provides more accurate results
The firm made the claim earlier this week after opening the new 4,800 sq ft discovery centre at its corporate headquarters in the Purdue Research Park, Indiana, US.
The new lab uses BASi’s automated Empis delivery pump and Culex blood sampling systems to collect material from animals in a reduced-stress environment that John Devine, company that VP of non-clinical services, said can improve data quality.
“Restrained animals are obviously stressed and release catecholamines and corticosteroids which can alter the kinetics of the administered compound,” Devine told Outsourcing-pharma.com, adding that “Sedated animals exhibit metabolism changes as a result of the sedative which also can change the kinetics.”
In addition the technology allows multiple samples to be taken from a single subject, thereby reducing number needed for each experiment.
Under one roof
BASi also claims the new centre will allow for quicker and cheaper testing, largely because the bioanalytical centre is in the same building as BASi’s discovery centre.
Anthony Chilton, BASi CEO, told Outsourcing-Pharma.com: “Having our laboratories in-house means that samples generated in a study can be analysed immediately as they are collected. This eliminates time delays in transfer of samples from animal facility to laboratory.”
Devine agreed, adding that co-locating the discovery and bioanalytical units will all-but eliminate the need for costly dry ice shipments and storage.
To the future
More companies are looking to predictive analysis in a bid to reduce the outlay, Chilton said, adding that he sees this section of the industry will continue to grow.
Devine expanded on this, saying it is more cost-effective for pharma and biotechs to “kill” compounds early before they move on to more expensive GLP studies. “Compounds that make it into IND stage or even into the clinic before being “killed” are a huge waste of resources,” he said.
Discussions for the next stage of development at BASi have focussed around attracting another client to measure drug levels in the plasma, Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and brain simultaneously. The firm says it has some “promising” early experiments.
“BASi is also collaborating with one client to detect drug levels in the lung by microdialysis in conscious animals,” Devine told us.
