Inovotion SAS - Model 3RS - In Vivo Technology

Our extensively-tested assays are an intermediate in vivo step in your drug discovery process that will save you time and money. INOVOTION`s technology is an excellent optimisation to improve the efficiency of the classical drug discovery process, as shown by several scientific publications and over 600 R&D client studies.

We use the chicken egg model involving an enhanced chorioallantoic membrane xenograft technique which has proven extremely valuable for in vivo studies of tumor development, angiogenesis and malignant cell dissemination and mecanisms of cancer analysis.

INOVOTION`s technology consists in a CAM assay grafting human cancer cells in the chicken egg environment. This is particularly suitable for tumor development due to the abundance of growth factors in the highly vascularized CAM. The chicken egg model allows rapid studies and requires a minute quantity of compounds. In the embryonic environment, the tumor grows rapidly.

Reducing animal testing is a huge challenge for pharmaceutical companies, and a widely-shared social issue.

Inovotion is committed to reducing the number of animal tests and supporting our customers in this transition.

The 3Rs (Replace, Reduce, Refine) objectives and alternative methods to animal experimentation are now highly recommended by regulatory bodies such as the FDA (CEDER), EMA, ICH, and by the European Commission  

(2021/2784(RSP)).

The 3Rs are also a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) issue for pharmaceutical companies.

Because Inovotion is working with the chicken embryo and stops the experimentation 2 days before hatching,

it`s assays are not considered to be animal experimentation from a regulatory point of view in Europe

(EU directive 2010/63/EU) and the USA.

This implies that authorization for animal experimentation (eg IACUC in the USA) is not needed for the assays.

Thus, all studies carried out with Inovotion’s model are true in vivo assays, without animal testing.

We are “zero animal use” (Replace). As our in vivo data are predictive of results in rodents, we allow our

customers to drastically Reduce and Refine rodent experimentation.

INOVOTION’s technology has been validated for over 55 human tumor cell lines, including carcinomas, gliomas and melanomas, as well as over 30 reference drugs currently on the market. Using these assays, we can investigate the efficacy and toxicity of new drugs, which are lead candidates in oncology. These assays can also be used to study genetically modified cell lines and target validation.

Our technology is a xenograft that uses embryonated eggs instead of mice to grow human tumors.

We graft human cancer cells on the chicken CAM, which are the same cell lines or PDX used in the mouse model. This is why our tests are as predictive as those in mice.

The tumors are grown for 10 days, and follow the rapid but physiological growth of the embryo.

We grow tumors of sizes comparable to those obtained with the mouse model.

If the cell lines used are invasive, we detect metastatic invasion in the lower CAM as well as in all targeted organs.

During this 10-day period, we can treat the embryo with experimental, such as immuno-oncology agents, small molecules, antibodies, peptides. We can then compare their effects with control and reference molecules.

INOVOTION has developed a unique preclinical in vivo assay with multiple advantages compared to classical models. These assays are adapted to efficacy or target validation for oncology and toxicity for other therapeutic areas. To validate its technology, the INOVOTION team has carried out more than 150 R&D studies over a period of 5 years, with several academic labs and biotech pharmaceutical companies.
Your main advantages in using INOVOTION’s technology are:

• Early stage evaluation provides faster identification of promising compounds
• Quick results: just 1 month
• High sensitivity: requires thousands of times less test compound than classical preclinical models
• Great predictivity: you get the same predictive level as with other preclinical models
• Strong reliability: high statistical significativity with low p.value
• In vivo model, yet without animal experimentation
• Lower costs than with comparable techniques

INOVOTION’s technology gives our customers an earlier evaluation of the potential of their candidate compounds.