Analyzing challenging matrices
While many preclinical and clinical studies require analysis of plasma, serum or blood, some involve more challenging matrices, such as vitreous and aqueous humor, tears, synovial fluid, and bronchoalveolar lavage. These matrices often have high viscosity, high protein concentration and low analyte concentration. Added to that, the samples are almost invariably very small, expensive and difficult to source. Analytical methods must therefore match the matrix’s complex qualities and also the small volumes available.
Patently a great idea
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George Hu and his colleagues (1) at Pfizer have improved the predictive power of their pharmacokinetic (PK) models by replacing an anti-drug conjugate (ADC) target in mice with the human version, yielding more relevant data from their preclinical study. Their work focused on trophoblast glycoprotein (TPBG), a target of several therapeutic anti-tumor cancer agents currently in the development pipeline. Mice were engineered to express human TPBG. Hu’s group then studied the pharmacokinetics of a clinical-stage anti-TPBG ADC (A1mcMMAF) in wild-type mice and ‘knock-in’ hTPBG mice.
How to save 150 000 rats
How Microsampling Saves Animal Lives
The importance of minimizing animal use was highlighted in the 
