Hudson, New York — February 22, 2011 - Taconic, a leading provider of life sciences solutions to researchers worldwide, announced it has entered into an agreement to gain access to the DuPont Intellectual Assets & Licensing OncoMouse® (Wilmington, Delaware) technology.
Taconic will employ the DuPont™ OncoMouse® technology to expand its translational oncology research services by performing efficacy and compound profiling studies on behalf of clients and making novel spontaneous tumor mouse models available to investigators for in-house research programs.
These provisions build on Taconic's oncology focus, and thus, provide another predictive tool in Taconic's growing portfolio of efficacy testing for oncology therapeutics. This adds to Taconic's current platform offering bioluminescent human tumor cell lines and tumor xenograft studies, including the use of orthotopic and metastatic models.
"The access to OncoMouse® technology further strengthens Taconic's oncology portfolio by adding genetically modified, spontaneous preclinical models to our repertoire," said Dr. Paul Rounding, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Translational Models and Solutions, Taconic. "The use of these models can provide insights into the molecular and cellular determinants of cancer, which are known to be highly relevant to human disease, thereby refining the selection of targeted anti-cancer agents."
A key attribute of studies in genetically modified models of cancer, as provided by the OncoMouse® technology, is the ability to study tumor progression in the microenvironment of the surrounding tissues and to study the molecular and histopathological effect of anti-cancer agents. By combining access to the OncoMouse® technology with Taconic's infrastructure for breeding of complex models and its expertise in compound profiling, it will be possible to evaluate the large numbers of genetically modified mice required to establish predictive, pre-clinical platforms for evaluating novel anti-cancer therapies.
About Taconic
Taconic is a leading provider of life sciences solutions to researchers worldwide, offering innovative lab animal models and scientific services that facilitate in vivo studies and advance drug discovery. Taconic's wide range of advanced solutions include custom model design, generation and production, imaging, off-the-shelf model repositories, compound profiling, contract research, contract breeding, genetic monitoring, and health testing. Headquartered in New York's Hudson River Valley, Taconic operates seven breeding facilities and three service laboratories in the U.S. and Europe and maintains a staff of over 1,000 scientific specialists committed to technological innovation.