On September 2nd 2020, Taconic Biosciences hosted a 2nd blood drive in honor of a former colleague, with 24 units of blood were collected. The American Red Cross reports that every 2 seconds someone needs blood administered. A single blood donation can save up to 3 lives, and saved the life of our former colleague who needed 8 units during a recovery. Many thanks to our employees... Read More
Humanized immune system (HIS) models have demonstrated utility in early-stage drug discovery across a range of therapeutic areas. In an interview with Drug Discovery World, Taconic Biosciences' Dr. Paul Volden discusses the types of HIS models, how they've evolved, and the advantages and disadvantages of HIS models that use hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) vs those that use other cell types. He also explains how HIS models can... Read More
Research into COVID-19 is rapidly evolving, and Taconic Biosciences' Dr. Megan MacBride explains in a recent article in Drug Discovery World how mouse models will enable researchers to move forward with SARS-CoV-2 research. She also provides examples of several genetically-engineered mouse models that were previously developed to study SARS, a closely-related coronavirus, may be viable candidates for studying COVID-19 viral infection: "The CRISPR/Cas9 system, and variants of... Read More
The more investigators learn about the microbiome, the more it becomes clear that it impacts both disease development and treatment. Taconic Biosciences' Dr. Alexander Maue took an in-depth look at the microbiome's role in drug discovery in a three-part series for International Biopharmaceutical Industry. Part 1 explored the microbiome's impact on study reproducibility and translatability. Part 2 reviewed how the microbiome can alter therapeutic effectiveness and clinical... Read More
In a recent article published in Drug Discovery News, Taconic's Dr. Terina Martinez explains how behavior is influenced by multiple molecular pathways. She goes on to note that studies that aim to explore behavioral observations must be carefully designed and researchers should be very thoughtful in the interpretation of results. As a first step towards advancing neuroscience studies in humans, researchers should first conduct their studies in... Read More
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing concern for clinicians and researchers, alike. One key problem with understanding how widespread this disease is, as it usually develops slowly and without symptoms. In a recent article for Drug Discovery News (DDN), Taconic's Field Applications Scientist Dr. Janell Richardson described how mouse models are helping advance research in this field. While no one model is perfect for modeling... Read More
The microbiome is increasingly cited as a key regulator of health and disease. This article published in Lab Animal highlights the role of differing microbiomes from different animal model vendors, as well as the importance of maintaining a consistent microbiome to increase reproducibility. As mentioned, Taconic's TruBIOME® solution enables researchers to develop a specific microbiota and maintain it for multiple generations of breeding. Read more here... Read More
Pharma Tech Outlook recently featured Taconic Biosciences as a top microbiome solutions provider in 2020. Dr. Alexander Maue, a Scientific Program Manager at Taconic with extensive experience in immunology and germ-free mice, was featured in this article to comment on evolving research into the microbiome of mouse models. He specifically highlights the growing microbiota repository, which enables researchers to select a specific microbiome for association with their... Read More
The Taconic Candy Sale originally started around 1999 as a fund raiser for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life®. The Sale was so successful that what started as a single idea has evolved into a tradition still going strong after more than twenty years. Over that time Taconic has been able to donate money to various charities, while also providing a fun snack option for staff... Read More
Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mouse models represent a growing class of models to study human cancers. These models, which are based on a variety of backgrounds, function as a tool to evaluate the interaction between a specific tumor and treatment. In a recent article in Biocompare, Taconic Biosciences' Dr. Terina Martinez and Dr. Megan MacBride highlight mouse models used for PDX studies such as nude mice, severe combined... Read More
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