In the age of industries continuously creating and remodeling chemicals, having a reliable way to test their toxicity is vital. At the same time, across all areas of research, there is the desire to shift away from traditional animal models. In this article we outline the New Approach Methods (NAMs) and some of the steps being taken to implement them.
The Undiagnosed Diseases Network UND is a nationwide network that is working to understand and diagnose rare and undiagnosed human diseases. The UND coordinates between research and clinical experts, using the latest genetic and genomic technologies to create a more personalized medicine model.
COVID-19 has broadly impacted biomedical research, in this article we give an overview of its effect on labs and discuss how this can shine a light on the advantages of using alternative model organisms in research.
The Undiagnosed Diseases Network brings together experts across the USA, combining clinical care and research to find diagnoses for undiagnosed patients. Zebrafish are extremely valuable disease models in this research, as they reduce the cost and speed up the process of identifying therapeutic targets. In this blog we highlight one rare disease whose mechanism was successfully identified using zebrafish.
In the scientific community there is an emphasis on positive results: getting published, having a drug be approved, etc. However, crucial learning happens when experiments don’t work – in fact, these “failures” may be some of the most important learning experiences. In this article we discuss the need to shift the focus from failing less, to failing faster and some of the resources available to researchers so they can expedite their own work.
A common saying in science is that, “good science and good animal welfare go hand in hand.” In this article we provide an overview of the 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement: guiding principles for the humane use of animals in research), look specifically at the UK’s well-documented implementation of them, and discuss how new techniques and technologies can continue to improve animal welfare.
Humanized animal models are becoming more widely used as new gene editing techniques become available and there is a push for a more personalized approach to medicine, but what exactly is humanization? In this article we discuss the history, the types of humanized models, and how they can be applied to your research.
Rare diseases are just that: rare. However, when combined rare diseases affect 3.5% – 5.9% of the worldwide population, and present a growing healthcare issue. In this article we talk with Dr Sangetha lyer about her work at the biotech Perlara and highlight their recent successes in a drug repurposing campaign for PMM2-CDG.
New ‘humanized models’ have the potential to revolutionize the study of clinical diseases, creating models with higher validity than more traditional models. This in turn has the power to expedite getting results from the bench to the bedside. In this article we will discuss the current state of animal models and the future that humanized models make possible; as an example, we will specifically focus on the models of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD).
Learn more about the DrugAge Database which highlights the high translational value of C. elegans as a model organism, and shows how valuable they can be as a tool for identifying novel drugs and drug targets in longevity research.
