Large animal models including non-human primates (NHPs), swine and rabbits bridge the gap between rodents and humans, and are used to evaluate target engagement, efficacy, biodistribution, metabolism and safety of novel therapies. At Biomere, we have a long track record of performing over 100 studies in large animal models per year to evaluate various drug modalities including RNA-based therapies, monoclonal antibodies, viral vectors and small molecules.
Large animal models bridge the translation gap between preclinical testing in cell lines and animal models and human trials. Depending on the modality and dosing method, they’re often the best choice for evaluating novel therapeutics, helping to answer key questions around systemic distribution, tissue accumulation, target engagement, and mechanism of action.
Non-human primates (NHPs), swine, and rabbits closely mirror human organ size, physiology, and tissue architecture, making them ideal for characterizing ADME, maximum tolerated dose (MTD), and dose range finding (DRF). Model selection depends on the therapeutic indication and route of administration. These models are also essential for testing medical devices and drug delivery systems – Biomere offers deep expertise in surgical implantation, plus in-life and terminal analysis, including complete necropsies.
Our teams bring years of specialized experience in NHP, rabbit, and swine models. Biomere’s NHP facility – the largest in New England – houses several hundred animals on-site at any time, primarily of Mauritius or Chinese origin. We have long standing relationships with reputed NHP suppliers to ethically source animals that have complete health records and are bred for purpose. We also source various swine and rabbit strains for on-site short-term studies.
