Alexandra Narin InVivo Biosystems

Drug Repurposing for Neurological Disorders

Drug Discovery / By Alexandra Narin / October 20, 2021 October 22, 2021

Neurological disorders are extremely widespread, affecting over 1 billion people worldwide, and have debilitating effects, impacting the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, and peripheral nerves. Despite this, many neurological disorders lack effective treatment. One strategy that offers an attractive way to find better therapies is drug repurposing. Also known as drug reprofiling or drug repositioning, drug repurposing identifies new purposes for pre-existing compounds, and offers reduced time frames, decreased costs, and improved success rates. While drug repurposing for neurological disorders has gained attention in the past decade, it is still an underused approach. In this article we will discuss drug repurposing, its benefits, its place in neurological drug research, and its recent success.

FDA versus FTC Approval – What is the Difference?

Drug Discovery / By Alexandra Narin / October 15, 2021 October 15, 2021

In this article we aim to clarify the intent behind these therapies and what their labelling means by asking: Why aren’t nutraceutical products FDA approved? How do FDA and FTC approvals compare? And — how should you market your product? What legal issues do both tracks pose?

The State of Knock-ins in Zebrafish

CRISPR, Gene Editing / By Alexandra Narin / October 11, 2021 October 12, 2021

The recent advancements of CRISPR and next-generation technology has enabled researchers to create more precise zebrafish models of human disease. This being said, knock-in (KI) techniques in zebrafish still aren’t fully optimized. In this article we discuss the current state of CRISPR-Cas9-mediated targeted knock-ins in zebrafish, and what the future holds.

A Gene Replacement Humanization Platform for Rapid Functional Testing of Clinical Variants in Epilepsy-associated STXBP1

Disease Modeling / By Alexandra Narin / September 30, 2021 September 30, 2021

Mutations in the STXBP1 gene are implicated in childhood epilepsies and several neurodevelopmental disorders, however, nearly half of the STXBP1 variants recorded in the ClinVar database are Variants of Unknown Significance (VUS). In a recent publication, members of the InVivo Biosystems team discussed their work creating humanized C. elegans that expressed STXBP1 in order to classify variants as benign or pathogenic.

RedEfish: Generation of the Polycistronic mScarlet: GSG-T2A: Ttpa Zebrafish Line

Gene Editing / By Alexandra Narin / September 23, 2021 September 30, 2021

Dr. Robyn Tanguay is a distinguished professor at Oregon State University, and a collaborator with InVivio Biosystems. Dr. Tangauy utilizes zebrafish to study toxicology, and last month received a $7 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to study the biological impacts of chemicals. In a recent publication, Dr. Tanguay and her lab created a new fluorescent-tagged zebrafish line to study the effects of Vitamin E on embryonic development. This article will give an overview of the Tanguay Lab’s work, and discuss: ‘why zebrafish’?

HIV, COVID-19, Alzheimer’s: The Impact of The FDA’s Expedited Programs and What’s Next

Drug Discovery / By Alexandra Narin / August 26, 2021 August 26, 2021

The FDA’s emergency use authorization (EUA) of the COVID-19 vaccines has brought the approval process of vaccines and drugs into public consciousness, however, the FDA’s ability to streamline medical products is not new. In this article we will discuss the history of the drug development pipeline, and ways it can be improved.

How Can a Drug Get to Market Faster? Explaining the FDA’s Expedited Drug Tracks

Drug Discovery / By Alexandra Narin / August 17, 2021 August 17, 2021

Getting a drug to market is notoriously difficult, taking 7-10 years and costing hundreds of millions of dollars. This, coupled with the Covid-19 pandemic’s impact on clinical trials, may make you wonder whether your drug is eligible for an expedited track. In this article we will discuss the current ways of expediting drugs, and which is best for your research.

New Alzheimer’s Drug: Helpful or Just Expedient?

Drug Discovery / By Alexandra Narin / August 13, 2021 August 13, 2021

Aducanumab has been plagued with controversy since it was announced. We take a look to see if it is helpful, or just expedient.

Rising Healthcare Costs? Non-Mammalian Models to the Rescue

Disease Modeling, Drug Discovery / By Alexandra Narin / August 11, 2021 August 17, 2021

Rising healthcare costs mean it’s time for pharmaceutical companies to use non-mammalian models in their drug development process — by saving time and money pharmaceutical companies can make a return on their products without sky-high prices for consumers.

What’s a Knockout, Really?

CRISPR / By Trisha Brock and Alexandra Narin / August 6, 2021 August 11, 2021

The development of CRISPR-Cas9 editing has allowed researchers to quickly create precise gene knockouts (KO), but while CRISPR-Cas9 KOs have been highly publicized, are the different methods understood? In this article we will discuss the two available methods for creating knockout models using the CRISPR-Cas9 technology: their advantages and limitations, and how they are being used in research.