HUDSON, NY--(Marketwired - October 20, 2014) -
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Taconic Biosciences today announced that it has added the Excluded Flora (EF) standard to the set of precisely defined health standards applied to its production of laboratory mice and rats. The EF standard makes available animals that are free of Proteus spp. and Segmented Filamentous Bacteria (SFB) in addition to organisms absent in our Restricted Flora (RF) health standard. The new EF standard, unique to Taconic, enables investigators to obtain selected Taconic mouse and rat lines that are free of seven well-documented confounding commensal organisms.
“As a pioneer and leader in the development of health standards for laboratory mice and rats, Taconic continues to drive innovations designed to meet the biomedical research industry’s changing needs,” said Taconic Biosciences’ CEO Bob Rosenthal. “The addition of the EF health standard demonstrates our commitment to provide more precisely defined models that help researchers improve the reproducibility of their study results, greatly enhancing their drug discovery process.” Taconic is the only animal model provider with global health standards available to customers worldwide through both Taconic Biosciences, and its distribution partners.
While Proteus spp., SFB, and other commensal organisms found in the human intestinal flora remain the subject of considerable study, their role in human immune response is widely acknowledged. Many publications have identified SFB as key variable in experimental models, playing a role in T-helper cell development and activation, autoimmune diseases, immunoglobulin A (IgA) production, and the development of the mucosal immune system. Proteus spp. has been identified as a study confounder, especially in some immune compromised models.
“Many disease models are now known to be impacted by the gut microbiome,” noted Jeffrey Lohmiller, Senior Director, Veterinary Sciences and Health Diagnostics at Taconic. “By delivering models at the EF health standard, we will help investigators better understand the impact of these organisms on human immune response, while offering researchers an additional option when seeking the best model to meet their study objectives.”
Taconic will provide a number of animal model lines at the EF health standard, including the CIEA NOG mouse®, C57BL/6NTac inbred mouse, C.B-17 scid mouse, Rag2 mouse, and Sprague Dawley® rat with more to follow. Models at the EF standard will first be bred and distributed through multiple Taconic locations in the U.S. and, soon thereafter, in Denmark, ensuring rapid access for researchers worldwide.
Taconic’s leadership in the development of laboratory animal health standards began in the mid-1970s, when the company pioneered establishment of the first standardized breeder rodent health surveillance program with publication of all test results. Since then Taconic has continually enhanced its animal health standards by broadening panels, improving diagnostic methodologies, adding newly recognized agents and dropping agents no longer considered relevant. Today Taconic offers models at five distinct health standards -- Murine Pathogen Free (MPF™), Restricted Flora (RF™), Excluded Flora (EF), Defined Flora (DF) and Germfree (GF). To learn more, visit http://www.taconic.com/quality/health-testing-program/health-standards
About Taconic Biosciences, Inc.
Taconic Biosciences is a global provider of genetically engineered rodent models and services. Founded in 1952, Taconic helps the biotechnology and pharmaceutical communities acquire, custom generate, breed, precondition, test, and distribute highly relevant research models worldwide. Specialists in Rodent Humanization and GEMS Management, Taconic operates three service laboratories and six breeding facilities in the U.S. and Europe and maintains distributor relationships in Asia.
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