Caenorhabditis elegans is a species of nematode (Rhabditidae family), about 1 mm in length that lives in temperate environments. It has been an important model system in biological research, especially the developmental genetics. It is an optimal animal experimentation model for preclinical studies and in vivo functional validation tests.
Currently it is a latest generation technology in the discovery of drugs and natural active ingredients of specific functionality, because it has great advantages compared to other animal models:
- Its genome size has been completely elucidated and it presents an extensive homology with the human one (> 50 %).
- Well-known prestigious technology because of the discovery as a research model by Sydney Brenner in 1963. He deservedly received the Nobel Prize. On the other hand, the laboratory of Martin Chalfie, prize Nobel in Chemistry 2008, uses C. elegans to investigate the development and behavior of neurons.
- It is easy to manipulate (1 mm in length with 959 cells with position known, transparent and for an easy crossing or culture manipulation under laboratory conditions).
- Its short life cycle of 2-3 weeks turns it into a high-performance model with results within a short period of time.
- • It allows disrupting the function of specific genes by using RNA interference RNA, what enables to mutate the function of a gene in order to infer its effect. There are a variety of strains with specific ailments for the research of different therapeutic targets (diabetes, obesity, Alzheimer, etc).
- • It complies on ethics associated with experimental animal studies.
The in vivo tests carried out with Caenorhabditis elegans for the validation of our products include among others:
- Oxidative damage
- Aging
- Heat stress
- Metabolic syndrome
- Diabetes
- Neurodegenerative diseases
- Obesity
- UV protection
- Cell regeneration