Preclinical In Vivo Imaging Services

In neuroscience drug discovery, preclinical imaging modalities are used to study disease pathophysiology in the brain, enabling the assessment of gross anatomical structures along with cellular and molecular structure and function. Small animal imaging technologies are directly aligned with techniques used in clinical settings for diagnosis and disease monitoring, providing a highly translational method for in vivo efficacy, proof-of-concept, toxicology, and safety stages of drug discovery.

In addition to being highly translational, the non-invasive nature of preclinical imaging methods enables longitudinal tracking of drug effects in the same individual over time. Gathering a large quantity of high-quality information in this way supports confidence in your lead candidate. In addition to stand-alone studies, our preclinical CNS imaging services can be combined with other endpoints, including behavior, electrophysiology, microdialysis sampling, and ex vivo biomarker analysis, to build a comprehensive data package on drug efficacy.

CNS Preclinical Imaging Modalities

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

MRI is a non-invasive imaging method that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to provide detailed 3D imaging of brain structure, volume, damage, and blood-brain barrier integrity. Depending on your study objectives, you can choose anatomical, diffusion, hemodynamic, pharmacological, functional MRI, or a combination of these techniques to investigate the efficacy and disease-modifying effect of your therapeutic candidate.

PET Imaging

PET and SPECT are nuclear imaging techniques that use radioligands to quantify changes in cerebral glucose utilization, blood flow, neuroinflammation, and synaptic density. Alignment with CT images enables investigation of changes in specific brain areas. PET imaging is used in neuroscience drug discovery to assess target engagement, drug efficacy and pharmacology, and distribution.

Functional Ultrasound

Functional ultrasound imaging (fUS) quantifies and images changes in brain activity by mapping changes in cerebral blood volume. It is a more recently developed preclinical imaging modality that provides ultrafast spatial and temporal-resolution images of drug effects across various neuronal disease models. Our experts have pioneered the use of fUS in in vivo efficacy studies in neuroscience drug discovery.

Neuroscience Discovery Studies

CNS imaging modalities can be applied in varied rodent models of neurodegenerative, psychiatric, pain, and brain injury disorders to determine the efficacy of your therapy against disease pathology and biomarkers. Our experts can advise on the best model to align with your discovery and development goals.

Neurotoxicology

Neurotoxicity testing assesses the effect of a novel drug on the structure, chemistry, and function of the nervous system. Our experts combine their extensive experience with neurotoxicity readouts, methods and CNS drug administration routes.

Oncology Imaging

Outside of neuroscience drug discovery, preclinical imaging methods can be used to assess drug effects on tumor growth and metastasis, quantify disease markers, and examine the distribution of novel therapeutics.
Illustration of neurons.

Exploratory Toxicology for Neuroscience Drug Discovery
Discover strategies across the early stages of drug discovery to support confidence in your lead small molecule candidate and ensure you proceed through the drug development process with the most promising candidate.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Preclinical CNS Imaging

  • What is preclinical in vivo imaging?

    Preclinical in vivo imaging refers to the application of non-invasive, longitudinal in vivo imaging techniques to visualize and quantify biological processes in animal models. Imaging techniques such as MRI, PET imaging, and functional ultrasound are essential to assess drug efficacy, track drug effects on disease pathology over time, and investigate the biodistribution of test articles during drug discovery and development.

  • How is preclinical small animal imaging used across drug discovery and development?

    Preclinical imaging in small animal models can be used at various stages across the drug discovery and development process. It can be used during:

    • Drug efficacy and proof-of-concept studies to assess drug effects on disease pathology
    • PK/PD studies to assess biodistribution of labelled test articles
    • Neurotoxicity and safety studies to determine toxicity profile and risks of novel compounds
  • What are the key advantages of preclinical in vivo imaging?

    Preclinical in vivo imaging offers significant advantages in neuroscience drug discovery by enabling translational, quantitative and non-invasive studies of drug effects in small animal models. The non-invasive nature of imaging techniques means that drug effects can be monitored over time in the same animal.