CNS

Specialist expertise in in vivo and ex vivo neurochemistry and neurobehaviour.

Pharmidex can provide PK, PD, target engagement and efficacy information for novel therapeutic agents in development.


Extensive experience supporting the progression of candidate drugs for the treatment of neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia or depression.


Pharmidex is committed to supporting industry and academic partners in their search for developing safer and more efficacious CNS treatments.

We currently offer a range of techniques to support the progression of CNS drug candidates.

Neurochemistry

  • Ex vivo microdissection
  • In vivo microdialysis

Bioanalysis

LC-MS/MS

  • Extracellular (free) drug levels in microdialysates and plasma levels (central versus peripheral exposure; PK)
  • Multiple neurotransmitter analysis in microdialysates, brain tissue, or CSF following sample derivatisation (PK/PD)
  • Receptor Occupancy (target engagement)


ELISA

  • Neuropeptides


Luminex

  • Cytokines

BBB assessment

  • In situ brain perfusion for brain uptake index and active influx/efflux
  • In vitro BBB equilibrium dialysis
  • In vivo free brain/free plasma ratio at steady state

Animal Models

  • Discrete brain lesioning/central administration (e.g. neurotoxins, pathological proteins, AAV, siRNA) following intracranial, intracerebroventricular, or intrathecal administration)
  • Neuroinflammation
  • Pharmacological manipulation
  • Stroke (Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion)
  • Transgenic animals

Neurobehaviour

  • Elevated plus maze (EPM)
  • Elevated zero maze (EZM)
  • Locomotor activity (LMA) 
  • Novel object recognition (NOR)
  • Spatial recognition task (SRT)
  • Rotorod (RR) 
  • Y-Maze