Preclinical Studies
We establish whether a candidate treatment is safe and effective before it reaches human trials. Studies are carried out in animal models, in cell-based systems or by computer simulation. Animal studies begin only after the institutional animal ethics committee has approved the written protocol, and all studies are designed, conducted and documented in line with the principles of Good Laboratory Practice. These are research services, not clinical care.
In vivo studies
Mus musculus VivariumStudies in animal models of disease, carried out in our Animal House.
- Safety assessment: systematic evaluation of adverse effects and risk profiling
- Efficacy testing: measurement of treatment effect under controlled laboratory conditions
- Toxicology: toxic thresholds and dose-response relationships
- Behavioural testing: memory, anxiety-like behaviour and locomotor activity
- Available research animals: mice, rats, rabbits and guinea pigs.
In vitro studies
Cell-based models of disease, run in our Cell Culture Lab.
- Cell-based disease models that reproduce the disease environment
- Cellular assays of viability, proliferation and function
- Pathway analysis of signalling cascades and disease mechanisms
- Therapeutic screening of natural products and other candidate treatments
- Available cell lines: glioblastoma and other cell lines held in the Cell Culture Lab.
In silico studies
Computational prediction of how a compound interacts with its protein targets, run on our GPU infrastructure.
- Target selection from the disease pathway, prepared from published structures
- Molecular docking to predict binding site, pose and affinity, validated against known reference ligands
- Molecular dynamics to test whether the predicted complex is stable over time
- Binding energy analysis to estimate binding free energy and the residues that contribute most
Why it matters
Preclinical testing reduces risk before human trials, identifies suitable dosing strategies, generates data that can support regulatory submissions and shortens drug development timelines.
Our 5-Stage Scientific Methodology
Every project starts with a written scope and protocol and ends with documented results and revision rounds. Animal studies begin only after Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) protocol review.
Ready to scope your preclinical studies study?
Tell us about your candidate compounds, cell lines, or dataset specifications. Our study directors reply within three working days with a detailed protocol scope.