Company attributes
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Altogen Labs CRO maintains a GLP-compliant laboratory for conducting cancer research, toxicology assays, and in vivo experiments.
Altogen Labs began performing preclinical animal studies in 2009 after establishing an IACUC-regulated laboratory. In 2011, the company began providing pyrosequencing services to hospitals and laboratories, a technique used in diagnosis of genetic diseases, such as those caused by excessive DNA methylation. Altogen Labs became a part of the Texas Venture Labs (at The University of Texas at Austin) in 2013. In 2016, Altogen Chemicals, a subsidiary of Altogen Labs, began manufacturing hexachlorodisilane for semiconductor and electronic applications. Altogen Labs was named one of the key players in the bioremediation market in 2018 by Transparency Market Research.
Altogen Labs provides GLP-compliant pharmacology and biotechnology contract research services. The company's products are focused on preclinical research, with xenograft models and high-throughput screening tailored to individual research. As part of its contract research program, Altogen Labs develops investigational new drugs and runs cytotoxicity studies in preparation for clinical trials. The company's clientele consists of hospitals, private laboratories, and the pharmaceutical industry.
Altogen Labs' custom research services span several areas, involving both in vitro and in vivo research. Although catering to pharmaceutical applications, Altogen Labs also runs commercial biodistribution studies and bioremediation contracts. The company's major products fall into several categories:
Altogen runs drug testing services aimed at discerning the cytotoxicity of experimental drugs. Such research is primarily based on testing new drugs for potential negative side effects, and understanding the mechanism of action of novel compounds. Toxicology testing occurs in two stages; in vitro testing on cultured cells, and later testing in live organisms.
In context of protein production and cell research, Altogen produces cell lines that have been genetically modified. Stable cell lines contrast with transiently-transfected cell lines, which remain genetically modified for a short period of time and cannot reproduce while keeping desired genetic mutations.
Altogen Labs produces and tests in vivo tumor xenografts for drug development studies involving cancer growth in mammals. SCID mice are primarily used as the tumor recipients in xenografts, and drugs are tested on the mice to determine efficiency and side effects. Currently the company has 89 xenografts derived from cancer cell lines and 29 patient derived xenografts, which are used to evaluate metastasis, resistance, and other aspects of cancerous tissue in drug studies.
The company has RNAi technology products, involving the delivery of short sequences of RNA into cells for the purposes of gene expression and regulation. Such research involves the creation of specific siRNA strands used for individual experiments.
Altogen purifies site-specific bacterial strains for bioremediation purposes. The company holds a patent for the methods for isolating and selecting appropriate bacteria for each remediation site. In addition to being used in oil spills, such bacteria may also be used to remediate sites contaminated with persistent organic chemical spills, pesticides, herbicides, and other industrial and chemical manufacturing wastes.
Altogen Labs conducts private cancer research, mainly focusing on genetic causes and their corresponding chemical and genetic therapies.