Animal studies are cornerstones in preclinical research. Scientists conducting preclinical studies examine how effective and safe therapeutics are in animal models before translation to clinical trials with humans.1 As more academics venture into the world of startups to develop therapeutics, new founders of life science or biotech lab spaces face a variety of obstacles related to time, cost, confidentiality, and research ethics.2,3 Although establishing animal services for rapid and specialized in vivo studies can be a source of preclinical challenges for startups, vivarium rental poses a solution to researchers aiming for control while developing new therapeutics.
Contract Vivarium Solutions for Focused Research Operations
Most startups do not have internal access to designated animal research facilities. As a result, pharmaceutical and biotech founding researchers are faced with the dilemma of finding vivarium space for in vivo stage preclinical studies. This may involve building a vivarium space from scratch or outsourcing to preclinical contract research organizations (CROs), both of which can be costly and time consuming.4
For instance, when outsourcing in vivo research programs, scientists need to develop policies and procedures for managing outsourced studies, identify and evaluate CROs for quality control and animal husbandry, and ascertain the level of institutional oversight necessary for contracted animal work.5 Additionally, giving up control of studies to an external facility may be risky and expensive, with long wait times for starting studies and processing results.4,6,7
In contrast, a contract vivarium (CV) provides accessible in-house laboratory animal services for in vivo stage preclinical research and development. A CV is a preclinical vivarium laboratory ready for immediate use, fully outfitted and managed by certified and trained animal husbandry experts. These facilities support scientists with comprehensive services and the highly specialized compliance oversight required for in vivo studies. They also enable researchers to conduct their own in vivo experiments, which accelerates timelines and offers founding scientists control over their science. This control allows close monitoring of data collection and validation, which increases productivity and the likelihood of reproducibility in later stage trials.4,6,7
Vivarium Spaces for Novel Preclinical Research Platforms
Whether a researcher needs a mouse vivarium or rat vivarium, CVs give founding scientists the ability to pursue novel, innovative, and proprietary therapeutic modalities and drug delivery systems.6 From oncology to neurology, researchers advancing therapeutic development across multiple pathways can find support through CVs. Some examples of CV-supported breakthroughs include elucidating the therapeutic potential of blocking the IL-27 pathway in liver cancer; preclinical testing of live biotherapeutic products for infectious disease treatment; and establishing preclinical evidence for novel amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) therapies.8-10
Cutting Edge Control for Drug Development
CVs reduce the entry-level barriers to drug development. Early- and mid-stage biotech companies with minimal funding can launch and control early phase experiments, and scale up their work based on results. By offering access to turnkey vivarium research facilities with expert services and compliance oversight, Mispro’s contract vivarium (CV) solution offers biopharma companies access to state-of-the-art preclinical drug discovery and development, regardless of business stage.6
Mispro offers fully-equipped, managed, and staffed vivarium space for a range of research platforms. Whether a biotech company is on the cutting edge of gene therapeutics, cell-based therapies, or other innovative molecular delivery systems, a team of experts is available to help develop study protocols for customized approaches. From vivarium space and services for all types of early-stage animal research studies, to extra space for a rapidly growing in-house vivarium, Mispro offers flexible and scalable options for safe and reproducible preclinical research. Mispro’s CVs provide best-in-class animal laboratory spaces and services so founding scientists and research teams can focus on the science behind successful preclinical studies.4,6,7
References
- W. Huang et al., “General principles of preclinical study design,” Handb Exp Pharmacol, 257:55-69, 2020. doi:10.1007/164_2019_277
- S. Chitale et al., “So you want to start a biotech company,” Nat Biotechnol, 40(3):296-300, 2022. doi:10.1038/s41587-022-01239-9
- “5 Reasons a Contract Vivarium Service is a Smart Choice for your In Vivo Trials,” Mispro Biotech Services, https://www.mispro.com/news-events/contract-vivarium-service-in-vivo-trials, accessed March 9, 2023.
- “What is a Contract Vivarium,” Mispro Biotech Services, https://www.mispro.com/news-events/what-is-a-contract-vivarium, accessed March 9, 2023.
- W.J. Underwood, “Contracting in vivo research: what are the issues?” J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci, 46(4):16-19, 2007.
- “Contract Vivarium Services,” Mispro Biotech Services, https://www.mispro.com/space-services, accessed March 9, 2023.
- J. Fogarty, “Biotech leader on why more life sciences companies in Boston are embracing the contract vivarium,” Boston Business Journal, September 1, 2021, https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2021/09/01/life-science-companies-contract-vivarium-model.html, accessed March 9, 2023.
- T. Aghayey et al., “Interleukin-27 signaling serves as an immunological checkpoint for innate cytotoxic cells to promote hepatocellular carcinoma,” Cancer Discov, 12(8):1960-83, 2022. doi:10.1158/2159-8290.CD-20-1628
- M. Dsouza et al., “Colonization of the live biotherapeutic product VE303 and modulation of the microbiota and metabolites in healthy volunteers,” Cell Host Microbe, 30(4):583-98, 2022. doi:10.1016/j.chom.2022.03.016
- J.K. Wong et al., “Apolipoprotein B-100-mediated motor neuron degeneration in sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis,” Brain Commun, 4(4):fcac207, 2022. doi:10.1093/braincomms/fcac207
