- Hera Biolabs receives AAALAC Accreditation For Exceptional Animal Care - One of the most important parts of the entire drug development process is the use of animals in the testing during the preclinical phase. Humane Treatment of Animals Translates Into Better Science AAALAC International is a private, nonprofit organization that sets the bar for humane treatment of animals in science through rigorous accreditation and assessment programs. Earning AAALAC accreditation requires… Continue Reading >
- Fine Need Aspirate Serial Tumor Sampling Services to Boost Your Xenograft Study Capabilities - Xenograft tumors from human cancer cell lines in immunocompromised mice are a staple of pre-clinical oncology research. However, tumor size limits, small blood volume, and minimal toxicology capabilities are significant challenges when using mice as an animal model. Hera BioLabs is proud to offer improved preclinical study opportunities using the SRG rat (OncoRat®), with tumor volumes growing up to 10,000+ mm³ or ten times the size of a mouse xenograft… Continue Reading >
- Validation of the SRG Rat for Human Tumor Studies Published in PLOS ONE - We are excited to announce that a validation study using the SRG rat engrafted with human tumors (OncoRat®) has been published in PLOS ONE. Specifically, the paper validated the use of the OncoRat® in human tumor oncology studies. The paper, titled “The SRG rat, a Sprague-Dawley Rag2/Il2rg double-knockout validated for human tumor oncology studies,” is a collaboration among researchers… Continue Reading >
- Gene Editing With piggyBac: Creating A Curative Treatment For Beta-Thalassemia - Genetic engineering can soon lead to lifelong cures for diseases that were previously incurable - and ß-thalassemia is the perfect example. Through novel therapeutic methods like cell therapy, scientists have found a way to cure a disease that used to only be manageable. Previous gene editing methods used to treat ß-thalassemia were limited and nonspecific; however, advances like piggyBac… Continue Reading >
- OncoRat® featured in Clinical Cancer Research for prostate cancer studies - Improving Preclinical Anticancer Studies Using Rat Xenograft Model Systems: A case study of SRG OncoRat tumor xenografts from a Clinical Cancer Research publication (paper link) Using the SRG OncoRat and xenograft validation services from Hera BioLabs, researchers were able to: Collect and validate an efficient, human relevant model system Confirm and compare data in the OncoRat with NSG mice Determine lead… Continue Reading >
- The OncoRat® is the ideal host for patient-derived xenografts of ovarian cancer cells - Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecological cancer in the United States. Advances in cytotoxic, platinum-based chemotherapeutics combined with tumor resection surgery allows approximately 80% of these patients to achieve remission. Unfortunately, the vast majority have a tumor recurrence within 12-24 months and relapsed ovarian cancer is recognized as being universally incurable1-2. Large genomic analyses of ovarian tumors, using… Continue Reading >
- Evolution of the rat model - Rats have been favored for drug development studies because the metabolism and pharmacokinetic properties of drugs in rats are most similar to humans. Rats are also preferable for xenograft studies because they allow for tumor volumes 10-fold higher than in mice, they are easier to surgically manipulate, and they can accommodate multiple blood samplings to assess the pharmacokinetic properties of… Continue Reading >
- H358 NSCLC xenografts in humanized rats: the ideal in vivo model for studying KRAS mutations - Lung adenocarcinomas, the major histological subtype of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC), harbor oncogenic KRAS mutations in approximately 25% of cases. Many of the targeted therapies that have been studied and approved for the treatment of NSCLC specifically target the EGFR – KRAS – BRAF – MEK – ERK signaling kinase cascade as oncogenic addiction to these growth factor signals… Continue Reading >
- Hera Biolabs announces Molecular Cancer Therapeutics publication on immunodeficient rats for oncology research - Continue Reading >
- Breakthroughs in gene editing allows for the creation of superior preclinical oncology models - Gene editing is getting a lot of attention in the oncology field for its potential in gene therapy, but this only scratches the surface of its potential applications. Hera is now using it to fight cancer through the creation of genetically engineered rat models for preclinical drug discovery. The rat has been the preferred model of toxicology and drug efficacy… Continue Reading >