• Chimeric Humanized Mouse Models: Understanding Human And Mouse Cell Interactions - Humanized liver mouse models are increasingly being used in preclinical trials and have allowed for groundbreaking in-vivo research to evaluate everything from human-specific drug toxicity and efficacy to gene therapies. Unlike their transgenic mouse model counterparts, chimeric liver mouse models that include human hepatocytes and it is important for researchers to better understand the interactions between the implanted human cells… Continue Reading >
  • Transposon Mutagenesis Helps Identify Genes Mediating Drug Resistance In The Treatment Of CLL - First time treatment of Chronic Lymphocratic Leukemia (CLL) generally requires a chemotherapy regimen that includes fludarabine. And although this potent drug combination has an astounding overall response rate of more than 90%, the unfortunate reality is that most patience will eventually relapse. And even more concerning is that in addition to the relatively small percentage of patients who are inherently… Continue Reading >
  • PDX Models of Lung Cancer Closely Mimic Characteristics Of Patient Primary Tumors - Despite ongoing research, lung cancers have remained among the most difficult to treat and account for the greatest number of cancer-related deaths worldwide. A suspected reason is the underlying molecular complexity of individual malignancies. Non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) account for approximately 85% of all lung cancers, yet research shows that these NSCLC tumors rarely share common cancer driver mutations,… Continue Reading >
  • Rat Provides A More Robust & Convenient Animal Infection Model For Hepatitis E Virus - Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is estimated to cause more than 56 thousand deaths each year, and although most infections remain asymptomatic, HEV is still considered one of the most common causes of acute viral hepatitis and is an ongoing concern for immunosuppressed transplant patients. Continue Reading >
  • Orthotopic vs. Subcutaneous Xenograft Models of Human Cancer - Orthotopic vs. Subcutaneous Xenograft Models of Human Cancer Subcutaneously implanted xenografts or patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) are a commonly used tool in the study of cancer.  Orthotopic xenografts are defined as the implantation of cancer cells into the same organ or tissue from which the cancer originated in the human, while subcutaneous xenografts are the implantation of cancer cells under the… Continue Reading >
  • HIV-1 Gene Therapies Considered: RNAi Versus CRISPR-Cas - Though human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) can now be effectively treated to prevent disease progression through the use of potent antiviral drugs, decades after this disease’s discovery, there still is no cure for this precursor to acquired immune deficiency syndrome, also known as AIDS. In a recent article published in the journal Biochemical Society Transactions by Herrera-Carrillo and Berkhout… Continue Reading >
  • Hera BioLabs, A KY Based Contract Research Lab Announces $400K Kentucky SBIR/STTR Matching Funds Grant - Hera BioLabs (“Hera”), a Lexington KY based contract research organization (CRO) serving the pharmaceutical and biotech markets announced it has been awarded a $400,000 Kentucky SBIR/STTR Matching Funds Grant to develop new products and services. Hera utilizes advanced gene editing technology to develop improved drug discovery tools for the $10B pre-clinical CRO outsourcing market. The grant adds to Hera’s $774,000… Continue Reading >
  • Transgenic Rats As Research Models Boast Significant Benefits - Transgenic Rats as Research Models Boast Significant Benefits over Mouse Counterparts Though much of today’s rodent-based research is performed using mouse models, the reality is that if we look back, many of the most impactful physiology, neurophysiology and neuroscience studies, including much of the Nobel Prize-winning place cell work, were historically done in rats, according to a  recent study of… Continue Reading >
  • Humanized Mouse Xenograft Models: The Best Of Both Worlds - Xenograft rodent models and cultured cells have long been used in pre-clinical studies of cancers and other human maladies, the reality is that there are significant limitations to both of these model systems. According to a recent review  by Morton, et al published by the American Association for Cancer Research, immune system humanized mice have allowed for researchers to examine… Continue Reading >
  • Xenograft Rat Models Give Hope To New Therapeutic Treatments For Leukemia - Mutations in DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) are common in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, and unfortunately, carriers of this particular gene mutation generally have a poor prognosis. And although scholars don’t fully understand the exact mechanisms by which DNMT3A loss contributes to leukemogenesis, murine stem cell research, as described in an August 2016 article published by Rau, et al in… Continue Reading >