Licensing opportunity
Asllan Gjinovci at the University of Geneva has modified the technology of in situ pancreatic perfusion. According to Geneva, the new method has a number of advantages over existing techniques, including an increase in analysis time from 20 minutes to 3–4 hours, which should permit testing of more drugs per experiment and limit the number of animals used.
The technology transfer company for the University of Geneva, Unitec, is offering a non-exclusive licence to this method, along with expert, on-site assistance, and the chance to form a collaboration for the testing of drugs using this new method.
According to Unitec, pancreatic perfusion allows researchers to study the effects of drugs on both endocrine secretion, where hormones (including insulin, glucagon and somatostatin) are released directly into the bloodstream, and exocrine secretion, where hormones (including amylase and chymotrypsin) are released through a duct.
The new method can be used in drug screening, preclinical studies, and ADME/TOX (absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion/toxicology) screening in a number of therapeutic areas, including diabetes, obesity and metabolic disorders.
Among the advantages of the modified system, says Unitec, are its potential use in double perfusion (of pancreas and kidney) and for the perfusion of other organs such as liver and spleen. It may also be used in genetically modified animals, and in different species, namely rat and mouse.
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