Altasciences
Altasciencesは、創薬から非臨床・臨床開発まで幅広く対応する北米のCRO/CDMOです。米国・カナダに研究施設を展開し、薬理、PK/PD、毒性、安全性薬理、バイオアナリシスなどの非臨床試験を受託しています。
Altasciencesの非臨床試験の受託サービスの特徴
小分子からバイオ医薬品まで幅広く評価
Altasciencesでは、小分子・大分子医薬品の両方を対象とした非臨床評価に対応しています。リード化合物の最適化から、用量設定、PK/PD、薬理、安全性薬理、毒性試験まで、開発段階に応じて試験を組み合わせることが可能です。マウス、ラット、モルモット、ウサギ、ブタ、ミニブタ、イヌ、非ヒト霊長類など多様な動物種に対応。経口、静脈内、注入、眼、皮膚、インプラントなど複数の投与経路にも対応し、候補化合物の特性に合わせた試験設計を行っています。
GLP対応の毒性試験と安全性薬理
IND申請などを見据えたGLP安全性評価を実施できる点も特徴です。単回・急性毒性、用量範囲設定、反復投与、慢性毒性、がん原性試験などに加え、CNS、心血管、呼吸器を対象とした安全性薬理にも対応。げっ歯類と非げっ歯類の双方を用いた評価が可能です。早期の毒性評価からpivotal toxicologyまで、開発段階に応じたプログラムを構築できます。公式サイトでは、毒性試験をGLPに準拠して実施し、北米、欧州、日本などの規制当局を対象とした申請を支援できるとしています。
バイオアナリシスやSENDまで一貫して対応
非臨床試験に必要な周辺業務を社内で連携できることもAltasciencesの強みです。バイオアナリシス、PK/TKデータ解析、免疫組織化学、臨床病理、解剖病理などを組み合わせ、試験結果を多角的に評価できます。また、非臨床試験データを規制申請用に整理するSENDにも対応。科学・規制面のアドバイス、プロトコル作成、プロジェクト管理、報告書作成なども提供しており、候補化合物の選定からfirst-in-human試験に向けた非臨床開発まで一貫して支援できます。
Altasciencesが保有する病態モデル一例
Altasciencesでは、CNS、免疫、炎症、代謝など複数の治療領域で非臨床薬理・安全性評価を実施しています。特にCNS領域では、霊長類を含む各種モデルを利用した研究にも対応。候補化合物の薬理作用を確認しながら、PK/PDや安全性評価へつなげられる体制を整えています。
Altasciencesの非臨床試験事例
GLP-1受容体作動薬のIND申請用試験を実施
Altasciencesは、低分子GLP-1受容体作動薬を用いたIND申請前のイヌ試験の事例を公開しています。薬理作用による摂食抑制や体重減少が毒性評価の解釈を難しくする点に着目し、薬理作用と安全性上の所見を区別できる試験設計を採用。毒性評価と薬物動態データを組み合わせ、IND申請に必要な非臨床データの取得を支援しました。
Altasciencesの企業情報
3 Recommended Contract Research Organizations for Non-Clinical Studies
— by Target goal and Expertise
In drug discovery, the quality and efficiency of non-clinical studies have a direct impact on clinical success rates, development costs, and overall length of time required in R&D.
In recent years, there has been more demand for clinically relevant data, globally accepted reliability, and accurate early-stage screening.
Thus, it is more important than ever to select the right CRO (Contract Research Organization) for strategic approach.
In this article, we highlight three CROs with proven technical capabilities, expertise, and long standing track records. These are our TOP 3 choices based on their capabilities and the specific target goals of the researchers for their non-clinical studies.
Pharmacology (Efficacy) Studies
Replicate unknown pathological models and
Discovery to clinically oriented drug evaluation
SMC Laboratories, Inc.
Reference: SMC Laboratories, Inc. official website (https://www.smccro-lab.com/jp/)
- SMC Laboratories, Inc. has established a disease models using patented mouse technologies.
The company has established proprietary pathological models—particularly in liver disease and fibrosis—and continues to expand their approach across a wide range of models in cancer, inflammation, and metabolic diseases.
- From exploratory research to clinically oriented efficacy evaluation, SMC offers customized study designs, dosing strategies, and evaluation analysis tailored to each project.
Their collaborative approachallows researchers to discuss and refine study plans together with SMC’s expert scientists.
- With flexible small-scale study options and strong technical support, SMC Laboratories, Inc. is an ideal partner for start-ups, biotech ventures, and academic institutions alike.
Safety Studies
Comprehensive Safety Evaluation for FIH Applications
Labcorp Holdings Inc.
(Labcorp Drug Development)
Reference: Labcorp Holdings Inc. official website (https://jp.labcorp.com/)
- Labcorp Holdings Inc. provides a fully integrated GLP testing system aligned with international regulatory standards, including FDA, EMA, and PMDA requirements.
All studies are conducted under ICH-compliant quality assurance, making it ready for data submission.
- The company has extensive expertise in long-term toxicity studies such as Segment I–III reproductive and carcinogenicity studies, as well as 2-year chronic toxicity assessments.
- Labcorp Holdings Inc.’s comprehensive approach enables sponsors to efficiently outsource the entire preclinical package from toxicology, toxicokinetic (TK), and safety pharmacology study design to execution. This accelerates a path to First-in-Human (FIH) trials.
For most of the global drug developers, this all-in-one service structure minimizes cost, risk, and expedite the time before advancing to clinical phase.
Pharmacokinetic (PK/PD) Studies
High-Precision Bioanalysis for Clinically Predictive PK/PD Evaluation
PhoenixBio Co., Ltd.
Source: PhoenixBio Co., Ltd. Official Website (https://phoenixbio.co.jp/)
- PhoenixBio Co., Ltd.offers pharmacokinetic and hepatic metabolism studies using their proprietary PXB-mouse®, a humanized-liver chimeric mouse model. This platform enables the acquisition of data with high clinical correlation in ADME, drug–to-drug interaction studies, bridging the gap between preclinical and clinical stages.
- With advanced LC-MS/MS-based bioanalysis, PhoenixBio Co., Ltd. provides aseamless workflow from plasma concentration measurement and metabolite identification to quantitative validation.
- The company offersan integrated evaluation analysiscovering pharmacokinetics, hepatotoxicity, and safety with flexibility to accommodate complex modalities such as oligonucleotide and middle-molecule therapeutics.
For compounds where hepatic metabolism is a development bottleneck—or where quantitative, reproducible exposure data are critical—PhoenixBio Co., Ltd. delivers unmatched analytical precision and consistency.