According to the company, it will develop five to seven ion channel In vitro tests for measuring cardiac risk potential before the year’s end. The assays will be a part of a suite of tests, including the company’s existing hERG (Human Ether-à-go-go-Related Gene) assay.
Moving forward, Envigo said it plans to develop between five to ten new in vitro and in silico tests on average per year beginning in 2018.
The company’s current non-animal technology assays that comply with OECD regulatory guidelines include those in the fields of genetic toxicology, electrophysiology, metabolism, endocrine disruption, skin sensitization, skin and eye irritation, genomics and gene expression.
Brian Burlinson, Principal Scientist and Vice President of Safety Assessment, CRS Europe, at Envigo explained in a release that “there has been an exponential growth in the use of non-animal technologies in pharmaceutical and chemical safety assessment.”
Long term, Burlinson added, “we are looking to internally develop new tests and or to create them in collaboration with select partners for use across a range of pharmaceutical, agro-chemical and chemical products.”