Preclinical Cardiovascular Studies

Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in our aging population, and the number one killer around the globe, accounting for more than 30 percent of deaths worldwide and 45 percent of deaths in the industrial nations.

In the United States, cardiovascular disease is responsible for nearly one million deaths annually. The direct cost of cardiovascular disease is estimated at over $150 billion; and the cost in human suffering is immeasurable. Without effective prevention and intervention efforts, these numbers will continue to increase in coming years.

Perry Scientific’s preclinical cardiovascular division offers a series of animal models. These preclinical models may be used also for drug testing, screening, and to evaluate the therapeutic effects of new compounds on cardiac diseases.

Perry Scientific has focused on creating the most productive, respected and innovative models for cardiac drug discovery, each designed to address unmet clinical needs in the management of patients suffering from heart disorders and its complications.

Brief Summary of Some of Perry Scientific’s
Preclinical Cardiovascular Animal Models

Atrial arrhythmias (fibrillation and flutter). Sustained atrial flutter models are performed around an anatomical obstacle such as the tricuspid valve or linear incision in the right atrium free wall. Sustained atrial fibrillation models are determined following several weeks of fast atrial stimulation (greater than 400 beats per minute).

Ventricular tachycardia models are developed either in vivo or in vitro around a damaged tissue of the myocardium tissue and by using an isolated Langendorff perfuse heart.

Myocardial infarction, ischemia or coronary artery disease models are prepared by partially or totally obstructing the blood flows through the coronary arteries (occlusion/reperfusion, tissue hypoxia and surgery to mitigate tissue damage).

Heart failure models are many and variable and are produced by methods such as damaging the aortic or the mitral valves.

Cardiomyopathy and pericarditis models are carefully prepared by chronic application of proprietary powders.

Autonomic nervous system activation/deactivation models are produced by either direct stimulation of the vagal nerves and stellate ganglions, by neurotransmitters, blockers or by using the spectral analysis methods.

Perry Scientific can offer these models in a variety of different animal species such as dogs, pigs, rats, rabbits and mice. Perry Scientific has the ability to test the invasive and non-invasive cardiac resuscitation devices in different animal models. All studies are performed at Perry Scientific’s state-of-the-art, AAALAC-accredited vivarium located in San Diego.

For all our projects, we assemble project teams across department lines and, if required for their specific expertise, with other consultants. Perry Scientific serves the biotech industry by supplying preclinical services such as new drug testing and evaluation, contract animal housing and services, preclinical model development, management of research studies and statistical and data analysis.