SERVICES
FNDR provides services for conducting preclinical studies for various bacterial, fungal and viral pathogens. A wide range of customisable assays are available for testing either as individual studies or comprehensive discovery programs. Please contact us for more details.
TUBERCULOSIS
In vitro studies
-
MIC/MBC in wild type Mtb (replicating condition)
-
MIC in wild type Mtb (non-replicating condition(s) – nutrition starvation, low pH and stationary phase)
-
MIC in wild type Mtb in human plasma
-
MIC in wild type Mtb in combination with 1st line, 2nd line, new drugs and drugs in development
-
MIC in drug resistant Mtb strains (SDR, MDR and XDR)
-
Kill kinetics profile
-
Cytotoxicity in THP-1 cells & Intracellular Efficacy in THP-1 Mtb infected Macrophages
-
Generation of resistant mutants (Mtb)
-
Biofilm Assay
​
Animal Efficacy Models
-
Acute Model (Mice)
-
Chronic Model (Mice or Guinea Pig)
-
Chronic Mouse Model (Combination with 1st line drugs)
-
Infected Animal PK and Drug-drug Interaction studies
-
Drug resistant Mtb Chronic Mouse Model (Combination with 2nd line drugs)
-
Relapse Model (Mice)
-
Shortening of Treatment Duration model (Mice)​
Note: The Mtb infection in animal studies is performed through inhalation.
​
Pharmacokinetics Studies​
-
Pharmacokinetics
-
LC-MS Method Development (fit for research)
-
Uninfected Animals (blood and tissue distribution)
-
Infected Animals (blood and tissue distribution)
-
-
PK-PD and drug-drug interaction studies
-
Single Method for first line drugs (Isoniazid, Rifampicin, Ethambutol, Pyrazinamide) and Second line drugs (Clofazimine, Thioacetazone, Ethionamide, Moxifloxacin)
-
-
Bioanalysis of human TB patient samples for first- and second-line drugs
​
NONTUBERCULOUS MYCOBACTERIA (NTM)
In vitro studies​
In vitro assays are available with the following NTM reference strains:
-
Mycobacterium avium
-
Mycobacterium gordonae
-
Mycobacterium nonchromogenes
-
Mycobacterium kansasii
-
Mycobacterium abscessus
-
Mycobacterium fortuitum
-
Mycobacterium intracellulare
-
Mycobacterium smegmatis
-
Mycobacterium ulcerans
​
Other Assays available:
-
A panel of 60 Clinical isolates of drug sensitive and resistant NTMs (M avium, M abscessus, M intracellulare, M kansasii, M fortuitum)
-
Biofilm assay with M avium and M abscessus
​
Animal Efficacy Models
-
BALB/c Mice Lung Infection model of M avium
-
SCID Mice Lung Infection model of M abscessus
​
BACTERIAL INFECTIONS
In vitro studies​
In vitro assays are available with the following strains:
​
Gram positive bacteria panel
-
Staphylococcus aureus
-
Micrococcus luteus
-
Bacillus subtilis
-
Streptococcus pneumoniae
-
Enterococcus faecalis
-
Enterococcus faecium
​
Gram negative bacteria panel
-
Klebsiella pneumoniae
-
Acinetobacter baumanii
-
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
-
Enterobacter aerogenes
-
Enterobacter cloacae
-
Salmonella typhimurium
-
Salmonella typhi
-
Proteus
-
Shigella
-
Escherichia coli
-
Proteus vulgaris
-
Serratia marcescens
​
A diverse range of drug sensitive and drug resistant strains are available for testing. Please contact us for more details.
​
Animal Efficacy Models
-
Neutropenic Septicemia mice model.
-
Burn wound infection rat model.
-
Lung infection model
-
Thigh infection model
​
FUNGAL INFECTIONS
In vitro studies​
In vitro assays are available with the following strains:
​
Fungal strains panel
-
Acremonium strictum
-
Actinomadura madurae
-
Aspergillus fumigatus
-
Aspergillus niger
-
Candida albicans
-
Candida auris
-
Candida glabrata
-
Candida tropicalis
-
Cryptococcus neoformans
-
Fusarium oxysporum
-
Nocardia asteroids
-
Rhizopus arrhizus
​
A diverse range of drug sensitive and drug resistant strains are available for testing. Please contact us for more details.
​
Animal Efficacy Models
-
Systemic fungal infection model with C albicans
​
COVID-19
In vitro studies
All assays are performed with SARS-CoV-2 USA-WA1/2020 (Wuhan-like). Other SARS-CoV-2 variants available for testing are Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa, Scotland, Denmark, BatPav and Omicron.
​
-
Antiviral Assay in Vero E6 cells (IC-50)​
-
Combination assays in Vero E6 cells
-
Antiviral assay in Calu3 cells
-
PRNT Assay and MNT Assay
​
Animal Efficacy Models
Syrian Hamster Model with Wuhan or Delta variant.
​
-
Therapeutic or Prophylactic Treatment
-
Routes of administration possible are oral, buccal, IP, SC, IM, IN and IV
-
Tissue viral load estimation via TCID-50, PFU or qRT-PCR methods
-
Tissue sampling: Lungs, Nasal Turbinate, other organs as required
-
Nasal Swabs (virus quantification via qRT-PCR)
-
Infected animal PK
-
Histopathology of lungs
-
Combination studies with Remdesivir, Molnupiravir or Nirmatrelvir
​
Vaccine Testing
Immunizations are performed in Syrian Hamsters.
​
-
Possible routes of administration of the vaccine include oral, intranasal, intramuscular and subcutaneous.
-
Long term immunization periods are possible.
-
The immune response is measured through -
-
Cytokines and T cell response with FACS
-
Antibody titre estimation using IgG/IgM ELISA
-
Neutralizing antibody estimation using PRNT Assay (Wuhan, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa, Scotland, Denmark and BatPav)
-
-
Viral challenge with either Wuhan-like strain or the Delta variant in the standard Syrian Hamster Model.​
-
Tissue viral load estimation via TCID-50, PFU or qRT-PCR methods
-
Tissue sampling: Lungs, Nasal Turbinate, other organs as required
-
Nasal Swabs (virus quantification via qRT-PCR)
-
Histopathology of lungs
-
​
Note: Indian academia, government research institutes, start-ups and MSME companies are eligible for reduced pricing in COVID-19 in vitro and in vivo studies under the BIRAC-THSTI-FNDR COVID-19 Antiviral Testing Platform. Please contact us for more information.
OTHER VIRUSES
In vitro studies
In vitro assays are available with the following viruses
-
Human respiratory syncytial virus
-
Influenza A (H1N1, H2N3, H3N2, H5N1, H7N9) and Influenza B
-
Dengue (DENV1, DENV2, DENV3, DENV4)
-
Zika
-
Chikungunya
-
Rotavirus
-
Rabies
​
Assays
-
Antiviral Assays (IC-50/EC-50)
-
Viral Load Reduction Assay (VLRA)
-
Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT)
-
Microneutralization Assay (MNA)
​
Animal Efficacy Models for Therapeutic and Vaccine Efficacy
-
Influenza (H1N1) mice efficacy model
-
Chikungunya foot pad mice model
​
VIRUCIDAL TESTING
Virucidal assays can be performed with the following viruses
-
SARS-CoV-2 (Wuhan, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa, Scotland, Denmark, BatPav, Omicron)
-
Human respiratory syncytial virus (Long Strain)
-
Influenza A (H1N1, H2N3, H3N2, H5N1, H7N9) and Influenza B (Victoria)
-
Rotavirus A
-
Zika
-
Rabies
​
Methods: ASTM E1052 (suspension) and ASTM E1053 (spray)
​