Preclinical Core

Strategies, Tools & Equipment

Drug Characterization Strategies

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.

Equipment

Equipment used by the Preclinical Core includes, but is not limited to:

Pearl Impulse Small Animal Imaging System LI-COR Biosciences Inc.

Vevo 2100 & Vevo LAZR imaging system

VisualSonics Inc.

flexiVent

SCIREQ Scientific Respiratory Equipment Inc.

Multi Wire Myograph System 620M

Danish Myo Technology A/S

Wes

ProteinSimple

FlexStation II Multi-Mode Microplate Reader

Molecular Devices, LLC.

gentleMACS™ Octo Dissociator

Miltenyi Biotec Inc.
Olympus FV500 confocal microscope Olympus America Inc.
Olympus FV1000MPE multiphoton confocal microscope Olympus America Inc.
Shandon Histocentre 3 Embedding Center Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
Shandon Finesse 325 Microtom Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
Shandon Cryotome Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
OTS-5000 Tissue Slicer FHC, Inc.
STREX Cell Stretching System STREX Inc.