Labcorp Drug Development Preclinical Oncology biosafety level 2 capabilities and ongoing expansion

Viruses and bacteria have a bad reputation. As we continue to deal with a global pandemic caused by a virus, there is heightened awareness to the potential negative impact of viruses. However, it is also true that both viruses and bacteria are powerful tools in treating many diseases. Their ability to infect quickly, along with their rapid dividing potential, also makes them a great asset to the research community. Since the early 20th century, viruses, bacteria and other biosafety level 2 (BSL2) materials have been recognized as potential treatments for various cancers. More concerted efforts have been put forth in recent years to research these materials. There are currently two BSL2 materials approved by the FDA for use: T-VEC (Imlygic®), an oncolytic virus (OV) therapy against advanced melanoma, and bacillus Calmette-Guérin, a bacterial therapy against non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Bioluminescence imaging: In vivo monitoring of tumor development, disease dissemination and treatment efficacy

Bioluminescence imaging (BLI) is a non-invasive optical imaging modality designed to visualize and quantify bioluminescent signal in tissues.1 BLI is based on the detection of visible light produced during enzyme-mediated oxidation of a substrate when the enzyme is expressed in vivo as a molecular reporter.

EMT6-Luc: In vivo monitoring of metastatic development and treatment efficacy

Successful treatment of breast cancer by immunotherapy continues to be a challenge, but emerging clinical data is encouraging.3   To help enable preclinical research of immunotherapy in breast cancer, we have developed the orthotopic EMT6 syngeneic breast tumor model in 2018.

CT26-Luc: An orthotopic murine model of colon cancer: implications for immuno-oncology studies

The advent of therapies harnessing the intrinsic anti-tumor activity of the immune system against cancer represents a paradigm shift in oncology therapeutics that has permanently changed the future of how we fight cancer.

Pan02-Luc: An orthotopic model of pancreatic cancer

With the development of increasingly complex immunotherapies, biotech/pharma companies are now looking for more relevant and accurate preclinical tumor models to predict precise drug responses.

Clinical standards of care in preclinical models of multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a hematological malignancy that arises from antibody-producing plasma cells that is rarely detected prior to symptomatic disease onset. Multiple myeloma was the cause of nearly 100,000 deaths worldwide in 20181 and it is estimated that in 2021, approximately 35,000 new cases of multiple myeloma will be diagnosed and cause 12,500 deaths United States2.

Luciferase-labeled cell lines: a valuable tool for oncology studies

Luciferases are oxidative enzymes that emit light in the presence of a substrate (D-luciferin) within a living organism, a process known as bioluminescence. The gene for the most common luciferases comes from the family of light producing enzymes called firefly luciferases1, 2.

Labcorp chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell generation service

Immunotherapy represents the state-of-the-art in cancer treatment. By harnessing the exquisite specificity of the immune system, modern immunotherapies can be designed to target a cancerous cell type while avoiding healthy tissue. Kymriah™ from Novartis and Yescarta™ produced by Kite/Gilead are FDA-approved cellular immunotherapies for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and diffuse large B cell lymphoma respectively.

Cloudman S91 – a responsive syngeneic melanoma model

Of all the skin cancer types, melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and while accounting for only about 1% of skin cancer cases, it is associated with the highest mortality1. Melanoma begins in melanocytes of the skin's epidermis, but once it becomes invasive into the skin or other parts of the body, it is more difficult to treat and can be fatal.

Determining preclinical CAR T-cell persistence by flow cytometry

During preclinical research and development, CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T-cell therapies are often investigated using a mouse as the test subject. In this setting, immunocompromised mice carry a tumor burden of human origin and are dosed with allogeneic human CAR T cells. The adoptively transferred cells are directed by the engineered chimeric antigen receptor to bind to a surface antigen on a tumor cell (CD19 for example).