Efficacy Evaluation of Cancer Drugs

MDS offers a variety of GLP and non-GLP in vivo services for efficacy evaluations of cancer drugs from designing and performing animal studies to histopathology analysis and follow-up molecular biology and biochemistry experiments. Our experienced project managers work together with our clients to ensure that we provide the in vivo services they need. Animal care is closely monitored by MDS's AAALAC accredited Laboratory Animal Medicine Division (RRDA). All procedures for animal care and housing are performed in accordance with the NRC Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (1996) and The Animal Welfare Act as amended and standards incorporated in 9 CFR Part 3,1991. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all studies are submitted to MDS's Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) for approval prior to the initiation of any study. Our animal facility include suites dedicated to housing athymic mice, separate surgical suites, a complete cellular and molecular biology laboratories. MDS offers a variety of tumor models to assess the cytostatic or cytotoxic characteristics of a potential therapeutic agent.

In Vitro Efficacy Evaluation of Cancer Drugs

MDS offers a variety of in vitro assays to evaluate a test article's effects on tumor cell biology, including proliferation, cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and cell cycle analysis. We also perform functional cell receptor binding, and activity assays and can examine a compound 's effects on migration and invasion (Matrigel and fibrin gel) . We offer several assays to evaluate e a compound's effects on angiogenesis, including endothelial proliferation, migration, and tube formation studies as well as the chick chorioallantoic membrane ( CAM ) assay.

MDS offers a number of pro- and anti- angiogenic assays:

• Both the pro- and anti- angiogenic effects of potential new drugs.
• Evaluate the relationship between hypoxia and angiogenesis induction in tumor growth and metastasis.
• Exovo chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay
• In vivo Z-chamber model in mice and rats
• In vivo dorsal skin flap window chamber model in mice and rats
• Human xenograft and syngeneic tumor models in mice and rats
• Endothelial Cell Proliferation, Migration, Differentiation, and Tube
• Formation Assays

Chemotaxis: Human vascular endothelial cell culture (HUVEC) populations are very responsive to compounds that modulate angiogenic response. Pro - angiogenic compounds promote increased growth and differentiation rates in these cells. Activated endothelial cells become highly chemotactic. We can evaluate the effect of compounds on the growth rate of HUVEC cells and, by using Boyden chambers , a compound's ability to induce migration through a defined matrix .