R&D pipeline

The predictability - quality of an animal model is proportional to its ability to mimick the response a researcher would have in Human. The closer the animal physiology is to the Human physiology, the higher the predictability of the model will be. To provide its customers with models of high predictability, genOway is focusing on humanized mouse and genetically modified rat models.

The substitution of the murine gene by its human counterpart allows the development of models with a higher predictability than with a classical mouse. Humanized mouse lines increase the relevancy of in vivo gene function studies and provide invaluable experimental models for in vivo drug screening (screening toward the human target). Moreover, they may be developed within the same timeline as that of classical mouse models.

The first cloned rats (fertile males and females) were published in Science (Zhou et al. 2003). These results pave the way for the development of knock out and knock-in rats.

Various data sources indicate that, in several therapeutic areas like cardiovascular, neurosciences, metabolic disorders or toxicology, the rat has a physiology closer to that of human than other species, like for the example the mouse. These observations proved the rat to be a key model for biomedical research.
Taking advantage of the technologies and know-how developed for mouse models, (conditional systems, humanization...) genetically modified rat models can rapidly become an animal model of major importance.

	In 2001, genOway established an exclusive collaboration with Dr J.P. Renard (INRA, Paris) in the field of nuclear transfer for rodent species. Dr J.P. Renard heads one of the most advanced teams in the nuclear transfer field, which has achieved the first somatic cloning of a cow and a rabbit.
	First cloned rat embryos were presented by Dr Fraichard at the Cold Spring Harbor "Physiological Genomics and Rat Models" meeting, (New York, Dec. 2001).
	The first cloned rats (fertile males and females) were published in Science (Zhou et al. 2003). These results pave the way for the development of knock out and knock-in rats. Research agreements are currently being implemented with biopharmaceutical companies and leading research institutions, for the development and analysis of the first knock out and knock-in rats.

September 2004, genOway announces collaboration in rat model development with Pfizer

May 2004, genOway announces cooperation in rat model development with ALTANA Pharma