Ex vivo and biochemistry

Equipment

  • Animal husbandry
  • Certified site and laboratory
  • HPLC Dionex with microplate autosampler 
  • Diode array detector for HPLC (Dionex)
  • Fluorescence detector for HPLC (Dionex)
  • 5 high-precision scales (Denver, Mettler Toledo)
  • Evaporation to dry 
  • Metabolic cages
  • Extractor hood (XPX 15.203) for toxic compounds (Midilabor)
  • pH meter (Inolab ph730)
  • 3 stereo zoom dissecting microscopes (Wild Heerburg)
  • 3 dissecting microscopes (Nikon)
  • pH meter (Inolab ph730)
  • Oxygenation system
  • 3 nitrogen canisters (Taylor Wharton)
  • Refrigerated and standard centrifuges (Sigma, Eppendorf)
  • Ultracentrifuge (Beckman Coulter Optima TLX)
  • Beta radioactivity counting (14C, 3H) or 3H/14C Liquid Scintillation Counter (Perkin Elmer)
  • Fluoroskan Ascent microplate fluorometer (Labsystems)
  • Microplate spectrophotometer Powerwave HT (Bioteck)
  • Software for management/statistical analysis of raw data (Prism)
  • Software for kinetic, biochemical and Elisa analyses (Gen5)
  • Software for lipoprotein kinetic analysis (SAAMII)

Experiments performed in the laboratory

  • Test substance administration (PO, SC, IV, IP, infusion, sublingual, intranasal, etc.)
  • Collection of biological samples (sampling and sacrifice)
  • Organ and tissue collection
  • Determination of test substance and metabolite concentrations in biological matrices
  • Determination of radioactivity in biological matrices
  • Removal of tissues for ex-vivo tests: preparation of muscles, adipocytes, etc.
  • Injection or infusion of radiolabelled tracers (14C, 3H) into tissues
  • Tissue/media biochemical measurements
  • Measurement of metabolites (tissue, plasma, urine)
  • Measurement of hormones (tissue, plasma, urine)
  • Measurement of enzymes (tissue, plasma, urine)
  • Measurement of inflammatory biomarkers (tissue, plasma, urine)
  • Measurement of cytokines (tissue, plasma, urine)
  • Measurement of classical plasma biomarkers

Place of these experiments in drug development

  • Optimization of treatment schedules, routes and doses
  • Urinary and fecal studies
  • Drug activity based on plasma and tissue biomarkers of type 2 diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia and cardiac complications
  • Ex vivo drug compound efficacy on glucose/lipid metabolism
  • Drug activity in tissues of animal models of type 2 diabetes, obesity, dyslipidemia and cardiac complications
  • Large-scale screening of compounds designed to treat obesity, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases
  • Evaluation of adverse effects and/or additional benefits, tissue by tissue
  • Studies of drug combinations
  • Development and characterization of custom-made experimental models
  • Development and validation of custom-made methods
  • Histological studies
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