NemaMetrix Expands Business to Capitalize on In-vivo Solutions to Help Speed Testing for Critical Disease Therapeutics

Eugene, Ore. – March 31, 2020 – NemaMetrix is changing its operating name to InVivo Biosystems as the company expands its research platforms to accelerate deep in-vivo insights that help researchers develop and deliver therapeutic solutions for critical diseases. The company’s solutions now provide essential services to pharmaceutical, nutraceuticals, and biotechnology companies around the world to speed research and drug development efforts, enabling earlier insights by closing the gap between cells and mice. The company’s new capabilities help address some of today’s healthcare gaps, including worldwide efforts to combat COVID-19.

“Working in vivo provides faster go/no-go insights that can lead to vital healthcare breakthroughs,” said Matt Beaudet, Chief Executive Officer, InVivo Biosystems. “Accuracy and speed are the twin hallmarks for helping healthcare researchers identify and focus on the best solutions to critical and rare health issues like cancers, epilepsy, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Expanding our strategy means that InVivo Biosystems is helping find solutions faster. Our team is completely focused on making a measurable difference in healthcare solutions around the world.”

Now, as InVivo Biosystems, the company has focused on using its CRISPR genome editing platform for providing early stage pharmaceutical insights using C.elegans and zebrafish (Danio Rerio) as alternative models before researchers move to more complex and costly model systems. Chief Science Officer, Chris Hopkins said, “By modifying C. elegans and zebrafish to express functional ACE2, recognized as the main cellular receptor that interacts with the 2019-nCoV receptor-binding domain, InVivo Biosystems is creating a platform for the study of molecules that can interact and disrupt ACE2 function in a whole animal context. These humanized systems provide a safety filter to ensure that targeted therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19 are effective without disruption of cardiovascular, hemodynamic, neurological, renal, and endothelial functions.”

InVivo Biosystems’ CRISPR-powered genome editing solutions create precise genetic models of disease, allowing researchers to gather deep phenotypic information, and analyze the information using proprietary deep learning algorithms to create incredibly accurate disease models. “It is a sea change for healthcare research,” said Beaudet.

InVivo Biosystems was founded in 2011 as a spin-off of the University of Oregon. The company’s initial focus was helping to provide research instrumentation and services to a wide range of academic institutions, including the National Institute of Health, Harvard University, UCSF, University of Chicago, University of Washington and more than 200 other research institutions. The company expanded its technical capabilities to include cutting-edge genetic engineering through the acquisition of Knudra Transgenics and its patent portfolio, CRISPR license, and library of existing transgenic animal.

“With the pharmaceutical industry increasingly focused on the rare disease market, currently estimated to reach $169B by 20221, there are enormous opportunities for good,” added Beaudet. “Today there are 7,000 identified rare diseases impacting 25-30 million Americans. This is precisely the type of research that the InVivo Biosystems solutions can help by speeding up the identification of possible effective therapies, which could also help reduce costs overall.”

The company, as NemaMetrix, was recognized as one of the most innovative health startups2 and technology platforms3 among other award recognition. Now as InVivo Biosystems, the company will continue to invest in solutions and systems that speed research into these important and critically underfunded diseases.

References:

  1. https://hbr.org/2017/04/the-cost-of-drugs-for-rare-diseases-is-threatening-the-u-s-health-care-system
  2. https://invivobiosystems.com/news/cbinsights-2017/
  3. https://invivobiosystems.com/news/screenchip-platform-recognized-white-house/?highlight=house

 

About InVivo Biosystems www.invivobiosystems.com

Founded in Eugene, Oregon in 2011, InVivo Biosystems (formerly NemaMetrix) is working to accelerate deep invivo insights into human biology and to enable researchers to develop and deliver solutions that improve human health. An expert in CRISPR genome editing, InVivo Biosystems provides a unique capability for creating custom genome edited zebrafish and C. elegans that enable therapeutic research on genetic models of aging, developmental, and neurodegenerative disease, uncovering potential cures.  The company’s in-vivo analytical testing platforms and technologies provide faster, cost-effective investigations that focus on proof-of-principle experiments for rapid go/no go decision making so that biopharma and nutraceutical companies around the world can better understand human diseases and explore potential treatments for high-impact disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy, Epilepsy, and human & animal parasitology.

 

For more information, visit www.invivobiosystems.com or the company’s blog: InVivo Insights.