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The Center for Preclinical and Translational Studies at the Almazov National Medical Research Centre, aims for New Horizons in Experimental Research
The Almazov National Medical Research Centre (St-Petersburg, Russian Federation) offers advanced infrastructure for preclinical testing of drugs and medical devices at the new Center for Preclinical and Translational Studies. This is a modern, 10 000 m2 state-of-the-art facility that has been opened in 2017. The entirely new six-floor building provides such services as aquatic facility for Danio rerio and Xenopus laevis, breeding facility for rats and mice, transgenic core facility, and a surgical department for mini-pigs and farm pigs.
Animal experiments continue to remain a cornerstone of biomedical research, serving for preclinical drug development, identification of new molecular targets for pharmacotherapy, and testing hypotheses on disease mechanisms. However, current practice of animal experiments generally fails to provide a sufficient level of evidence for smooth translation of new data to the stage of clinical trials. Many solutions have been proposed in order to improve the ‘translation coefficient’, including better standardization of experimental protocols and laboratory animals, multicentre animal studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, and reverse translation of failed clinical trials. One of the major pre-requisites for increasing internal and external validity of animal research is the presence of a modern infrastructure providing standardized animal care.
