Selecting a CRO (contract research organization) is an important step in any pharmaceutical or biotechnology company’s preclinical development. Gubra is a preclinical CRO focused on providing the most optimal and translational services to streamline and accelerate preclinical research. We believe that Gubra is uniquely positioned to supply in vivo and technological services for pharma and biotech partners to advance their studies quicker and with increased precision. Here we highlight why selecting Gubra as your preclinical CRO could advance your research.
1. Experience bridging preclinical and clinical research
Gubra has extensive experience working with companies of all sizes, from 10-person start-ups to being a trusted contractor of 16 out of 20 of the largest global pharmaceutical companies. With over 15 years of experience taking a compound through pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies to assessment of metabolic, fibrotic, and neurodegenerative disease–specific phenotypes, we pride ourselves on assisting any group of any size with the same level of detail and care in your study design. We have expertise in executing highly translational animal model research to directly inform movement from preclinical to clinical trials.
2. Speed and certainty
One of the most impressive aspects of working with Gubra is the speed and certainty with which your study is completed. Gubra maintains several off-the-shelf rodent models to allow rapid initiation of metabolic studies focusing on complex disease states, such as DIO (diet-induced obesity) mice models for obesity and MASH (metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis) studies, a PKD (polycystic kidney disease) rat model, and a ReninAAV db/db diabetes mouse model.
We pride ourselves on the systems that we have developed and implemented to keep our preclinical CRO running without error: our systems are monitored and inventoried with a complex barcoding system that prevents human errors and allows for your materials to be monitored as they move through your study. Our teams will communicate with you throughout to ensure that you are up-to-date as your compound is tested, your tissue is imaged, and your samples are sequenced. Additionally, our platform, GubraView, allows you to view data as it is collected, which we will discuss more of below.
3. Developed and validated disease models
Using models that are validated for your disease focus is critical for successful compound development. Gubra has developed and validated several translational models for a range of disease states. Specifically, our GAN DIO-MASH model was ranked by LITMUS as number one in proximity to the human disease presentation, which is one of the key indicators for clinical translatability.
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- Download the publication: An unbiased ranking of murine dietary models based on their proximity to human metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) here
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We also have models focusing on diabetes, IPF (idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis), PKD, IBD (irritable bowel disease), atherosclerosis, and many more. We are always looking to innovate and partner to model metabolic and other diseases to facilitate research and therapy development in diverse fields.
4. Whole organ imaging for visualizing and quantifying drug distribution and effects
Gubra is a pioneer in light sheet microscopy with experience imaging every organ and tissue in mice and rats. We have validated antibodies against many targets including those targeting vasculature, cell activation markers like pSTAT and c-Fos, and those targeting plaques. Explore our c-fos webshop here.
Additionally, we have validated the use of probes to label RNA in the whole organ, allowing for 3D ISH imaging. We also have optimized c-Fos staining in rodent brain for monitoring changes in neuronal activity. Using our brain atlas that we have developed, modeling an average lean male mouse, we are able to overlay RNA expression, protein expression, neuronal activation, and compound distribution to create a comprehensive map of a treatment. This includes segmenting out vessels to determine how much of your compound can penetrate the blood brain barrier (BBB).
We have also developed algorithms to quantify and measure phenotypes, including:
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- MASH: Hepatoprotective effects of semaglutide, lanifibranor and dietary intervention in the GAN diet-induced obese and biopsy-confirmed mouse model of MASH
- Download the publication here
- Kidney disease: Automatic Artificial Intelligence-Assisted Glomerulosclerosis Analysis in Mice Models with Glomerulopathy
- Download the publication: here
- And diabetes: 3D quantification of changes in pancreatic islets in mouse models of diabetes type I and II
- Download the publication: here
- MASH: Hepatoprotective effects of semaglutide, lanifibranor and dietary intervention in the GAN diet-induced obese and biopsy-confirmed mouse model of MASH
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We continue to develop others for a wide variety of diseases and are always open to better assaying new disease phenotypes. These algorithms allow us to process image data with an unbiased and comprehensive approach to further accelerate production of valuable data on compound efficacy.
5. Data transfer and analysis platform, GubraView
To provide you with customizable access to your data, we have developed a proprietary data management platform – GubraView. This platform provides full data transparency, allowing you to monitor your study from its inception with the creation of a study outline and throughout each stage as your data becomes visible as it is acquired. You can even monitor individual animals or react in real time to unexpected data to alter your study before completion. Because we know your data is precious, GubraView is highly protected and only accessible for those you give access to.
GubraView automatically plots and analyzes your data, determining statistical significance and allowing for full customization. You can also overlay data from your past studies or data from Neuropedia to gain further insight and drive hypotheses.
