Discovery in vivo PK

Three scientists wearing lab coats, masks, and hairnets work with pipettes and samples in a laboratory, focused on discovery DMPK studies.

Discovery in vivo PK Services

Pharmaron’s discovery in vivo PK service offerings cover screening PK, tissue distribution and excretion, metabolic profiling, metabolite quantification, various other PK models for mechanism studies, endogenous biomarker analysis, PK/PD studies, etc., to support drug discovery projects and evaluate hits, leads, and potential candidates’ properties from an in vivo PK perspective.

All in-life work of PK/TK studies is conducted in AAALAC-accredited animal facilities and follows IACUC-approved study protocols.

A scientist wearing a white lab coat, blue hair net, safety glasses, and a face mask operates laboratory equipment with multiple bottles of liquids. The sterile and modern lab setting is equipped for advanced preclinical ADME studies, with various scientific devices and containers visible.

Screening PK

  • Rodents and non-rodents
  • Standard single PK design: full PK, rapid PK, snapshot PK
  • Cassette PK: 3-6 cmpds/route
  • Formulation screening support
  • Dosing routes
    • IV, PO, IP, SC, IM
    • Infusion, intra-colon, intra-duodenum, intratracheal, intranasal, dermal
    • IP/SC via ALZET pump
    • Sublingual
Two scientists, wearing protective gear, conduct tissue distribution studies in a laboratory, using pipettes to process samples.

Tissue Distribution

  • Drug concentration in tissues
  • Unbound level in tissue
    • Equilibrium dialysis
    • Microdialysis(Kp,uu)
  • CNS compounds
    • CSF (rodents & large animal)
    • Brain homogenate
    • Brain slice method
A gloved hand handles a tray of well plates in a high-throughput system, with green indicator lights glowing on the equipment.

Metabolism and Excretion

  • Metabolite analysis
    • Quantitative analysis of metabolite/parent drug
    • Qualitative analysis
  • Excretion: urine, feces, bile
  • DDI effect
  • Pre-treatment with inhibitor(ABT, Ela)
    • Co-dosing of test articles
    • Pretreatment (Pentagastrin, Famotidine)
A scientist in protective gear, including a mask, gloves, and goggles, carefully handles a pipette in a lab, likely conducting experiments related to discovery in vivo pharmacokinetics (PK) models. The focus on precision highlights research into drug metabolism and bioavailability in living organisms.

in vivo PK Models

  • Portal vein cannulation – dosing and/or sampling
  • Bile duct cannulation – biliary excretion
  • Using chamber – intestinal permeability, intestinal absorption, secretion, and metabolism
  • PK/PD analysis
    • Systemic exposure
    • Biomarker analysis (LC/MS)
    • Blood chemistry and CBC
    • Pathology
Close-up of advanced laboratory equipment used for Discovery DMPK (Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics) analysis, featuring a mass spectrometer setup.

Endogenous Biomarkers

  • Malonyl-CoA, Carnitine, NAD
  • Prostaglandin (PG), Adenosine, Bilirubin, Bile acids (TCA), 
  • Estrone, Estradiol, Dopamine (and their metabolites), etc.

Watch our webinar covering strategy and methodology for predicting human PK evolving from a discovery to a First in Human setting.

Watch Our On-Demand Webinar
A promotional banner for a Pharmaron DMPK Webinar Series titled "Unlocking Discovery and Enabling Clinical Evaluation: Predicting Human Pharmacokinetics and Dose." It highlights the roles of genetic toxicology in drug development, featuring photos of speakers Hannah Jones and Simon Taylor with their titles and affiliations.

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