Taconic Biosciences News

Signs Exclusive Agreement with University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston to Access Humanized ACE2 Mouse Model Rensselaer, NY — June 22, 2020 - Taconic Biosciences, a global leader in providing drug discovery animal model solutions, announces an exclusive agreement with the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) to distribute humanized ACE2 mice for coronavirus research. The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, uses the ACE2...  Read More

Biocompare recently released a new documentary on the technologies that further immunotherapy research. This 4-part documentary presents a comprehensive discussion on current FDA-approved immunotherapies, tumor immunoprofiling and the tumor microenvironment, CAR-T cell therapies, and the next advancements for this game-changing cancer treatment. Taconic Biosciences' Dr. Michael Seiler was interviewed for this and explains how utilizing humanized mouse models and informatics may help researchers understand the biology of...  Read More

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has impacted researchers and model providers in many ways. In a recent article from AALAS, Taconic's Dr. Megan MacBride highlights how fast action, dedicated staff, and creative problem solving have contributed to ensuring that Taconic can still provide animal models for researchers around the globe. The ability for model providers to be flexible and understanding has also promoted customer relationships and enabled researchers...  Read More

Local Production of the CIEA NOG mouse® Model Now Available on the West Coast Rensselaer, NY, — June 10, 2020 - Taconic Biosciences, a global leader in providing drug discovery animal model solutions, announces local West Coast United States production of the immunodeficient CIEA NOG mouse® model. Immunodeficient animal models are critical to the drug discovery ecosystem. One of the most common contributors to the high product...  Read More

Taconic Biosciences' Dr. Jochen Welcker was recently interviewed by Drug Discovery News about utilizing CRISPR for gene editing, and specifically highlights the Easi-CRISPR technology used for model generation. Researchers know that there are numerous gene editing technologies available for creating genetically engineered models (GEMs), however, Easi-CRISPR has the unique capability to insert longer sequences than traditional CRISPR such as entire human or reporter genes as well as...  Read More

First Animal Model Provider to Create Program Aiding Researchers Planning for Return Rensselaer, NY, — May 18, 2020 - Taconic Biosciences, a global leader in providing drug discovery animal model solutions, announces the successful implementation of its Rapid Restart™ program. Launched over a month ago, Taconic was the first animal model provider in the industry to provide researchers with a program specifically designed to aid laboratories transitioning...  Read More

The 23rd Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) will be taking place virtually from May 12-15, 2020. Intellia Therapeutics Inc., a company specializing in genome editing using CRISPR/Cas9, announced that five poster abstracts have been accepted for presentation at this meeting. One specific poster, titled "In Vivo Model Development for Genome-Edited T Cell Therapeutics", demonstrates the use of improved murine models...  Read More

Genetically engineered animal models (GEMs) are essential tools for preclinical research but can be difficult to license depending on how the model was designed. Taconic Biosciences' Dr. Megan MacBride recently authored an article on this topic for the Journal of Precision Medicine. MacBride explains that "proactive measures" should be taken when purchasing or designing a GEM. It is of vital importance to conduct due diligence on any...  Read More

Taconic's Dr. Alexander Maue recently authored a follow-up article for International Biopharmaceutical Industry (IBI) to his original comment on how the microbiome can improve reproducibility and translatability of animal models. In part two, he elaborates on how the microbiome can impact drug efficacy and what types of mouse models are being developed to further immuno-oncology research. Read the complete article at: biopharmaceuticalmedia.com...  Read More

Recent research into the microbiome demonstrates that the composition of gut microbiota influences the development and progression of disease. However, more research is needed to fully strengthen this connection. Taconic's Dr. Alexander Maue recently authored an article for Drug Discovery World depicting the investment landscape of biotech and pharmaceutical companies in the microbiome field. Dr. Maue describes how the number of IPOs, mergers & acquisitions, collaborations, and...  Read More