Taconic Biosciences, a New York, US-based company developing animal models for clinical research announced the commercialization of a rodent model, preconditioned with diet-induced nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
According to the company, there is increased demand for preconditioned models, since some of the available models require up to 26 weeks to become ready for study, causing time delays for drug discovery.
Additionally, the current absence of a commercial product forces researchers to use their vivarium space to condition animals for months, displacing other projects.
Michael Seiler, vice president of Taconic's commercial model portfolio, commented that the model launch will save time for researchers. Previously, they had to “plan studies months in advance and [were left with] little flexibility as new compounds were discovered along the way.”
NASH is a subtype of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease NAFLD. According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NAFLD affects 30-40% of adults in the US while 3-12% of the same population have NASH, which can lead to liver failure or liver cancer.
Taconic has been further investing in its growth since the private equity (PE) firm H.I.G. Capital acquired the majority of its shares earlier this year.
The company recently also launched TruBiome, a platform enabling the development of models with customized microbiota profiles, got its Wild Mouse licensed by the National Institutes of Health and sent a mouse to the International Space Station.
