As personalized medicine and the discovery of de novo variants that cause disease continue to grow, researchers are increasingly in need of alternative models
Gut microbiota impacts nearly every aspect of health, but researching it can be tricky due to differences between humans and commonly used model organisms, as
New drugs, No Animals, No Problem. The FDA announced legislative changes – drugs are no longer required to be tested in animals before moving to human trials. What does that mean?
In this article we will discuss the collection of new gut-brain publications, and how their findings could influence the approach and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases
Summary: We recently published a piece on the importance of temperature in C.elegans which got the whole InVivio Biosystems team thinking about C. elegans’ development,
Summary Zebrafish models largely began as a way to research developmental biology, however, their potential to be a preclinical model of human disease quickly became
Beyond research into vaccines and traditional therapeutics, the medical community is exploring other ways of helping to prevent, and reduce, symptoms of COVID-19. One promising
Tauopathies are a type of neurodegenerative disease which get their name from the accumulation of Tau protein that occurs in all of them; these diseases
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
Using the models provided by InVivo Biosystems, the Starr & Luxton Labs were able to focus their efforts on understanding and evaluating the variants and
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
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
Using Humanization we can take advantage of the ancient biology between humans and other organisms to create stand-ins – patient avatars – for drug screening
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
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
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive, debilitating disease that accounts for 60-80% of all dementia cases, however, it remains untreatable. In this blog, we provide an
Model organisms are essential to experimental research, allowing researchers and scientists to address a variety of questions. While no model is perfect, some models are
In an effort to create better models for epilepsy, we’ve been working on a grant-funded project to humanize important synaptic machinery by replacing endogenous coding
June is Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month. We wanted to take a few moments to spotlight some of the awe-inspiring research on Alzheimer’s disease taking
We use the zebrafish (Danio rerio) as an in vivo model to measure the functional effects of patient-derived genetic variation. In this way, human genetic variants identified
While advances in molecular imaging, high-throughput screening, genomics and techniques like CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing have dramatically enhanced our understanding of the human body and disease,
C. elegans as a model to evaluate the function of disease genes In 1998, the soil nematode Caenorhabditis elegans became the first multicellular organism of
Neurotoxin exposure is implicated in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease and ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). Traditionally, vertebrate animals such as
NemaMetrix is the market leader for early preclinical in-vivo testing using small animal models to gain a better understanding of the efficacy, mode of action,
NemaMetrix is the market leader for early preclinical in-vivo testing using small animal models to gain a better understanding of the efficacy, mode of action,
How are extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Katrina, spreading heartworms and other parasitic nematodes and what are the implications of their spread?
How are extreme weather events, such as Hurricane Katrina, spreading heartworms and other parasitic nematodes and what are the implications of their spread?
Drug resistance in many pathogens — viruses, bacteria, protozoa, parasitic worms and more — presents a growing and potentially catastrophic challenge to human and animal
NemaMetrix is the market leader for early preclinical in-vivo testing using small animal models to gain a better understanding of the efficacy, mode of action,
The shift towards preventive medicine has given anti-aging startups a favorable environment in pursuing longevity and aging issues. The nematode C. elegans has emerged to
NemaMetrix is the market leader for early preclinical in-vivo testing using small animal models to gain a better understanding of the efficacy, mode of action,
Animal testing in the research-based pharmaceutical industry has been reduced in recent years both for ethical and cost reasons. However, it is still a staple
When you receive your genomic report, you have a movement of trepidation.What will it say? Will it have something that says you should do countermeasures
In 2017, a now-redacted paper published in Nature Methods claimed that CRISPR created hundreds of unintended mutations in mouse models, and that algorithms designed to
Humanized model organisms are powerful biological models that allow scientists to study human disease genes in simpler contexts without losing the value of in vivo
There is a significant pressure to increase diagnostic yield and it has its consequences. BRCA testing is probably the most developed ecosystem for genetic tests
C. elegans is one of the most powerful model organisms and has been used to unravel several key genetic pathways. The C. elegans nematode has been used
The Child Neurology Society honored William (Bill) Dobyns for his highly impactful efforts in characterizing child neurology. In a prolific and highly influential carrier, Bill
Genetic Testing Clinical geneticists have an acute need to understand pathogenicity in genomes of their patients (Figure 1). Cost per human genome has now approached
How to better understanding Variants of Uncertain Significance in epilepsy and help find new therapeutic approaches Did you know that 1 in 26 people will
One of the most commonly known nematodes in the scientific community is Caenorhabditis elegans. Ever since Sydney Brenner introduced it as a model organism to
Systems for Functional Studies A variety of modeling systems can be used to explore variant function. Initially, many researchers turn to a computational approach to
The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “You have evolved from worm to man, but much within you is still worm.” Genetic diversity in individuals and
Performing sequence analysis on a patient with a suspected genetic disease is becoming a standard of care. However, when a genetic variation is identified as
The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said: “You have evolved from worm to man, but much within you is still worm.” Genetic diversity in individuals and
The latest issue of Drug Discovery News (DDNews) features a special report on Animal Models of Disease, highlighting the NemaMetrix/Knudra merger and the value of
Dr. Andy Golden at NIH discusses his work on identifying regulators and interactors of conserved genes in C. elegans that, when mutated, can cause human disease