Contract Services

The laboratory actively partners with industry in preclinical efficacy/safety evaluations of drugs and devices.

Many of these studies are carried out as laboratory service agreements. These interactions between the University laboratory and a for profit sponsor is organized as any activity where in the research is simply a service provided by the laboratory. This contractual relationship between the sponsor and the University recognizes this as a service and does not involve any transfer of intellectual property or as with any CRO, no publications requirements. The generated data belongs to the sponsor. The work is performed by full time staff members and does not involve students or fellows.

Tools of Analysis

Investigation and assessment studies utilize well-defined models and tools of analysis including:

Assays of Analgesic Pharmacology and Activity

1. Kinetic and safety studies of chronic/acute intracranial and intraspinal test material. Delivery in the rat and mouse using bolus injection and/or continuous infusion
2. Effect of test material on induced neuropathy studies in the rat and mouse using the Bennett (thermal hyperalgesia), Chung (tactile allodynia) and, intrathecal substance-P/NMDA (thermal hyperalgesia) models of nerve injury.

Measures of analgesic activity, include

1. Rat and mouse thermal escape (Hargreaves)
2. Rat and mouse tactile threshold (Von Frey hairs)
3. Rat deep pressure sensitivity (Ugo Basale)
4. Rat and mouse tactile allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia (carrageenan knee joint and paw, thermal injury inflammation, or cisplatin induced)
5. Rat and mouse tactile allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia
6. Rat and mouse intraplantar formalin induced paw flinch analysis
7. Rat and mouse pruritus /scratching models.
8. Mouse osteosarcoma
9. Motor function
10. Thermal escape and skin twitch
11. Rat and mouse conditioned place preferences

Spinal drug toxicology