
Metabolic Disease Efficacy Evaluation
GemPharmatech performs a variety of metabolic efficacy tests, including glycated hemoglobin assays, glucose and insulin tolerance tests, metabolic cage tests, and blood biochemistry analyses. We have developed a series of mice strains with several metabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH), and hyperlipidemia, as well as simulated human diseases by medication induction and feeding manipulation. Based on these models, we conduct research on the pathophysiology of associated disorders, drug screening, and efficacy evaluation.
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Obesity Models and Efficacy Services
Obesity refers to a type of metabolic disorder impacted by factors such as diet, environment, and heredity. In addition to weight gain, obesity is strongly correlated with diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular events. GemPharmatech has developed a series of obese mouse models, including diet-induced obesity models and spontaneous obesity models caused by genetic mutations, to investigate the mechanism of obesity and evaluate the related therapeutic drugs, helping to provide drug efficacy evaluation services based on these models.
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Type II Diabetes Models and Efficacy Service
Diabetes mellitus is a common disease caused by genetic, environmental, and immunological factors resulting in islet hypofunction and insulin resistance, and revealing complex metabolic disorders involving sugar, protein, fat, water, and electrolytes. More than 90% of patients with diabetes have type II diabetes (T2D). GemPharmatech has generated the matching diabetes mellitus models using gene-editing technology and a diet-induced modeling approach for researching type II diabetes mellitus pathogenesis as well as evaluating therapeutic medication screening.
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Type I Diabetes Models and Efficacy Services
Type 1 diabetes is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. As a result, the pancreas can no longer produce sufficient insulin, a hormone crucial for regulating blood sugar levels by enabling cells to absorb glucose from the bloodstream. Typically emerging in childhood or adolescence, though it can occur at any age, Type 1 diabetes requires lifelong management, including regular insulin injections or use of an insulin pump, blood glucose monitoring, and careful dietary and lifestyle adjustments.
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Androgenetic Alopecia (AGA) Models and Efficacy Services
Androgenetic alopecia, a genetic condition commonly referred to as male-pattern baldness or female-pattern hair loss, is the most prevalent form of hair loss. In males, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), primarily produced from testosterone, attaches to receptors within hair follicles. Over time, this binding causes the follicles to shrink and shortens the hair growth cycle. Consequently, the hair becomes progressively thinner and finer, ultimately ceasing to grow. This typically leads to a receding hairline and balding at the crown. In women, although the underlying mechanism is similar, it usually manifests as diffuse thinning across the scalp rather than complete baldness. Androgenetic alopecia not only impacts physical appearance but can also exert a profound psychological toll on those affected.
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MASH Models and Efficacy Services
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is a progressive form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease which develops when excessive fat accumulates in the liver, triggering inflammation and subsequent damage to liver cells. Strongly linked to metabolic abnormalities like obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes, MASH can advance to severe liver pathologies, including liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Distinct from simple fatty liver, MASH is characterized by active liver injury. Accurate diagnosis typically necessitates a comprehensive approach, integrating blood tests, imaging modalities, or liver biopsies.
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Chronic Liver Fibrosis Models and Efficacy Services
The liver is an essential hub for material and energy metabolic processes. The impact of alcohol, drugs, and toxic chemicals usually produces acute or chronic liver injury, which can progress to liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, or liver cancer if not appropriately managed. Consequently, experimental animal models of liver disease are essential for investigating the pathophysiology of liver disease and screening therapeutic medicines. GemPharmatech offers liver fibrosis models, metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis models, and related-efficacy evaluation services.
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Acute Liver Injury Models and Efficacy Services
Acute liver injury is a sudden and often life-threatening condition characterized by rapid liver damage. Acute liver injury can be triggered by diverse factors such as viral infections like hepatitis A and E, drug-induced reactions from medications, herbal products or toxins, alcohol overdose, or autoimmunity. This disruption impairs vital liver functions, including detoxification, protein synthesis, and metabolism. Symptoms vary widely; while mild cases present with fatigue, nausea, and abdominal pain, severe instances can quickly progress to liver failure. Complications such as coagulation disorders, encephalopathy, and multi-organ dysfunction may then ensue, underscoring the need for immediate diagnosis and treatment.
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Cholestasis Models and Efficacy Services
Cholestasis is a liver disorder defined by disrupted bile flow. Bile, crucial for digestion and waste elimination, can be affected either within the liver (intrahepatic cholestasis) or due to blockages in external bile ducts (extrahepatic cholestasis). Its causes vary widely, encompassing genetic mutations, certain medications, liver diseases like primary biliary cholangitis, as well as gallstones, tumors, and inflammation. When bile accumulates, it damages liver cells, manifesting as symptoms like jaundice, itching, dark urine, and pale stools. If left untreated, cholestasis can progress to severe conditions such as cirrhosis and liver failure, highlighting the importance of prompt diagnosis and appropriate management.
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Alcohol-related Liver Disease (ALD) Models and Efficacy Services
Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is one of the leading causes of preventable liver-related morbidity and mortality worldwide. To better model disease progression and aid in the evaluation of potential therapeutic targets, GemPharmatech has developed an experimental mouse model of ALD that mimics the histopathological features of the disease.
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Chronic Kindey Disease (CKD) Models and Efficacy Services
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a long - term condition characterized by the gradual loss of kidney function over time. The kidneys, responsible for filtering waste, excess fluids, and regulating electrolytes in the body, become damaged, often due to factors like diabetes, high blood pressure, glomerulonephritis, or genetic disorders. As CKD progresses, symptoms may include fatigue, swelling, changes in urination patterns, and high blood pressure. In advanced stages, it can lead to kidney failure, requiring treatments such as dialysis or a kidney transplant. Early detection through regular screenings and management of risk factors are crucial to slow disease progression and improve patients' quality of life.
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Actue Kindey Disease (AKD) Models and Efficacy Services
Acute kidney disease, or acute kidney injury (AKI), is characterized by a rapid and often severe decline in kidney function, typically occurring within hours to days. Triggered by diverse factors—severe dehydration, blood loss, sepsis, certain medications like antibiotics and chemotherapy drugs, and impaired renal blood flow—AKI disrupts the kidneys' ability to filter waste, regulate fluid - electrolyte balance, and maintain blood pressure. Symptoms manifest as decreased urine output, swelling, fatigue, nausea, and confusion. Without timely treatment, it can progress to life-threatening complications, including electrolyte disorders, fluid overload, and multi-organ failure. Yet, with prompt diagnosis and proper medical care, many patients can regain normal or near-normal kidney function.
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Diabetes Nephropathy (Diabetic Kidney Disease) Models and Efficacy Services
Diabetic nephropathy is a serious and common complication of diabetes. It occurs when high blood sugar levels over time damage the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys, known as glomeruli. These damaged glomeruli gradually lose their ability to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood effectively. In the early stages of the disease, symptoms are subtle, but as it advances, protein begins to leak into the urine, a condition called albuminuria. This is often one of the first signs. As kidney function deteriorates further, patients may experience swelling, high blood pressure, and a buildup of waste products in the body.
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Sarcopenia Models and Efficacy Services
Sarcopenia is an age-related progressive loss of skeletal muscle mass, strength, and function. It significantly impairs mobility, increases the risk of falls, fractures, and disabilities, and reduces the quality of life. So far, there is no FDA approved pharmacological therapy for sarcopenia. Currently, pre-clinical animal models can be divided into four types: (1) aged animals; (2) genetically modified animals; (3) intervention models; (4) induced disuse models.
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Gout/Hyperuricemia Models and Efficacy Services
Hyperuricemia is a common purine metabolic disorder caused by excessive synthesis or decreased excretion of uric acid as a result of abnormalities in the purine metabolic pathway. A significant risk factor for the development of gout, Hyperuricemia also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and chronic renal failure. GemPharmatech has developed gout and hyperuricemia models via gene editing and drug induction, and can also provide model-based therapeutic efficacy evaluation services. By injecting uric acid into the local tissues or joints of mice, we have additionally successfully reproduced the symptoms of acute gout in humans.
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Female Reproduction Models and Efficacy Services
Female reproductive disorders encompass a diverse group of disorders that can significantly impact women's health and well-being. Conditions such as endometriosis, where uterine tissue grows outside the uterus, can cause chronic pain and fertility issues. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) disrupts hormonal balance, leading to irregular periods, infertility, and metabolic problems. Cervical, ovarian, and uterine cancers pose life-threatening risks, while infections like pelvic inflammatory disease can damage reproductive organs. Early detection, proper treatment, and preventive measures are essential for managing these diseases.