Sigma® Life Science, an innovative brand of Sigma-Aldrich® (Nasdaq: SIAL), today extended its portfolio of knockout rat models with the announcement of a new suite of models designed to facilitate more predictive absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion and toxicity (ADME/Tox) studies. This extension of the Company's product offering, the first ever models created especially for ADME/Tox applications, is expected to help researchers establish the efficacy of drugs more rapidly and with greater accuracy, due to the rat's ability to better model human physiology when compared to mouse models currently used.
The four new models were developed by Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering (SAGE™) Labs (http://www.sageresearchmodels.com), a Sigma Life Science initiative, and have single gene deletions to well-established drug transporters: Mdr1a (P-glycoprotein), Mrp1 (Multiple drug resistance-associated protein 1), Mrp2 (Multiple drug resistance-associated protein 2), Pxr (Pregnane X receptor), and Bcrp (Breast cancer resistance protein). The validated Mdr1a knockout model is currently available for purchase, while the other models are expected to be available for purchase later this year.