Rationale

Our service pipeline provides ethical alternatives for regulatory animal research and aims to reduce, replace, and refine (3Rs) regulated animal testing. This is achieved by introducing a Tier-1 phase using new alternative test methods. C. elegans nematodes are very small animals of only ~1mm in size. Even though the animal-testing law does not apply for C. elegans, it has the same complexity as higher organisms. As a result, C.elegans-derived data and mammal-derived data (rats, mice, rabbits) generate a comparable reliability when compared to humans.

Unlike in vitro tests with cells, living organisms like C. elegans have cells and organs inside their body which communicate with each other, for example by neurons but also hormones and other signalling molecules.

Our strategy allows us to pre-screen compounds to identify health activities (toxicity and/or pharmaceutical effects), to identify synergism between compounds, and to discover how compounds influence a body. Vivaltes contribution is to assist with the selection of the most promising compounds to fill your product development pipelines. In addition, knowledge on how compounds cause their effects helps to identify (new) compound health activities, can improve compound/drug combinations, serves as supportive proof for regulatory acceptance.

Using data science, Vivaltes can now go beyond exploratory lab testing. We are able to extract (e.g. mammalian) phenotypes from scientific literature and internal reports, and identity the involved mechanism/mode of action (like Adverse Outcome Pathways). Accordingly, we can predict expected phenotypes for the new test methods, like for the in vivo test organisms C. elegans and zebrafish. Our data science pipeline allows us to perform more focused confirmatory lab testing.

Moreover, we are developing a data platform which maps the health effects of herbs and its compounds, including its biological mechanisms. This database assists agricultural companies in developing new health beneficial products and marketing their activities.

Finally, in collaboration with academic and industrial partners, we are developing an online database that contains physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of chemicals. This database will be able to assist customers with reliable testing and allow for quantitative in vitro to in vivo extrapolations (QIVIVE).