AxoSim is to addressing how to improe preclinical pharmaceutical development. Using microengineered nerve-on-a-chip technology, AxoSim facilitates the prediction of neurological safety and efficacy early in the drug development pipeline. By providing an advanced, 3D cell-based alternative to animal testing, pharmaceutical companies will have access to high content data faster and earlier than currently possible. AxoSim fabricates 3D hydrogel scaffolds which encourage the development of a mixed population of cells, introducing polarity, migration, axon outgrowth and myelination. These conditions replicate the environment found in living organisms. The firm's models can be cultured for months, and have the potential to be tailored based on different therapeutic applications. AxoSim's facilities are equipped to measure changes in electrophysiology, nerve density, fiber type, degree of myelination and cell integrity following either acute or chronic exposure to compounds of interest. Range finding experiments can also be performed for concentration dependent effects.
