Events | Visikol https://visikol.com Advanced Drug Discovery and Bioimaging Services Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:47:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.5 Join Us for a Free Webinar Presented by CrestOptics https://visikol.com/blog/2023/09/28/webinar-crestoptics/ Thu, 28 Sep 2023 13:47:12 +0000 https://visikol.com/?p=19994

CrestOptics ‘Best practices from clearing methods to high content microscopy: exploring the 3D cellular complexity in depth’ webinar

Sessions: 8:00 AM | 2:00 PM | 8:00 PM (UTC/GMT +2)

Date: October 11, 2023 

Abstract

Studying the three-dimensional (3D) cellular structure is crucial for gaining a more meaningful understanding of biological systems as it remarkably preserves the physiological characteristics of the cellular architecture. The study of 3D cellular structures has gained increasing significance in recent years due to advances in techniques such as clearing and microscopy. Together, these techniques provide researchers with the tools to deeply visualize complex 3D cellular architectures at high resolution, enabling detailed analysis of cellular structures and functions.

Performing volumetric imaging at a considerable Z-depth is often challenging due to the light-scattering properties and opacity limits of native tissue. To address this problem, Visikol Inc. developed the Visikol HISTO-M which is an optical clearing technique (i.e., the process of making opaque biological structures transparent) designed specifically for 3D cell culture models and plate-based high-throughput processing. During the webinar, the Visikol HISTO-M technique will be described in combination with fluorescent labeling and high-content imaging allowing for more accurate 3D cell culture model characterization and drug screening.

The webinar will also feature highly relevant speakers who have made significant contributions to the clearing and organoid fields: Prof. Nicolas Baeyens,as well as Prof. Silvia Di Angelantonio and her collaborator Dr. Erica Debbi. Prof. Baeyens, a leading scientist in the field of mechanobiology, has developed an advanced clearing protocol that enables the volumetric visualization of the intricate 3D architecture of various organs, such as bones and human teeth. In the webinar, he will present how this clearing method can be applied to study tissues effectively through the detailed analysis of 3D structures. Prof. Di Angelantonio, an expert in developing innovative techniques for generating 3D brain organoids from hiPSCs, together with Dr. Debbi will share ground-breaking research on complex brain organoid structures and their potential applications taking advantage of high-resolution imaging.

In addition to that, you will learn how CrestOptics X-Light V3 Spinning Disk Confocal technology allows the collection and analysis of 3D images of whole cleared samples at a higher resolution than a wide-field microscope and at a faster scan rate than a point-scanning confocal microscope.

Altogether, our joint webinar promises to provide valuable insights into the cutting-edge techniques and applications of clearing methods, and high-content 3D imaging.

The post Join Us for a Free Webinar Presented by CrestOptics first appeared on Visikol.]]> Hepatoxicity Screening Webinar On Demand https://visikol.com/blog/2023/02/02/hepatoxicity-screening-webinar-on-demand/ Thu, 02 Feb 2023 13:34:46 +0000 https://visikol.com/?p=19063

Watch the ‘Hepatotoxicity Screening in HUREL® Micro Liver Models with Agilent xCELLigence Real-Time Cell Analyzer’ webinar on demand now!

Summary

The ability to predict the pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of a drug early in the development process can materially reduce the likelihood of clinical failure, and subsequently the total cost of development. As such, there is a substantial and accelerating drive to identify model systems that more accurately predict human physiological responses to xenobiotics.

To fill the obvious gap in the drug development process, Visikol presents the HUREL Micro Liver model system. HUREL Micro Livers consist of cryopreserved primary hepatocytes co-cultured with a stromal fibroblast cell line, which aids in the hepatocytes’ maintenance of more in vivo-like characteristics compared to traditional hepatic mono-cultures, including long term viability and retention of cytochrome P450 isozyme activity. Combining the HUREL Micro Liver model system with Agilent’s impedance-based, label-free, xCELLigence real-time cell analysis (RTCA) technology allows for continuous monitoring of toxicity and ensures that no meaningful time points are missed.

In this webinar, Dr. Amir Wahba, senior principal scientist at Visikol Inc. will illustrate how real-time data enables identification of optimal treatment times and data collection, in addition to the evaluation of cytotoxicity onset and kinetics.

Webinar topics include:

  • The challenge of drug-induced hepatoxicity
  • Development of predictive in vitro model systems
  • The combination of Visikol’s HUREL and Agilent’s xCELLigence Technology

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. 

Speakers

Amir Wahba, PhDAmir Wahba, PhD
Senior Principal Scientist
Visikol Inc.

Dr. Amir Wahba is a senior principal scientist at Visikol Inc. In his current role, he leads the bioanalytical assay development in collaboration with the in vitro and the pharmacology teams utilizing LC-MS/MS. Dr. Wahba holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy from the University of Mississippi, emphasizing the chemistry of natural products. During his graduate work, Dr. Wahba focused on discovering and developing anti-cancer and anti-malarial drug leads from the marine environment. He pioneered the structure elucidation of bioactive natural products and the development of in vitro platforms for the active compound’s evaluation. Following his postdoctoral training on carbohydrate synthesis at LSU, Dr. Wahba expanded his drug discovery skills to include nanotechnology, molecular biology, gene therapy, and metabolomic analysis by contributing to multidisciplinary projects in academia and industry. Before joining Visikol, Dr. Wahba served as a senior research associate at the Department of Neurosurgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, where he established an adenosine-based epigenetic drug discovery platform based on manipulating adenosine metabolism through small molecules and gene-based intervention for epilepsy and brain cancer treatment. Furthermore, he established the protein-protein interaction network of adenosine kinase utilizing mass spectrometry proteomics and metabolomics approaches to help us understand the consequence of adenosine kinase manipulation on cancer metabolism.

The post Hepatoxicity Screening Webinar On Demand first appeared on Visikol.]]> Real-Time Hepatoxicity Screening in HUREL Micro Liver Models https://visikol.com/blog/2023/01/13/real-time-hepatoxicity-screening-in-hurel-micro-liver-models/ Fri, 13 Jan 2023 13:36:46 +0000 https://visikol.com/?p=18980

Overview

Title: Hepatotoxicity Screening in HUREL® Micro Liver Models with Agilent xCELLigence Real-Time Cell Analyzer

Date: Thursday, January 26, 2023

Time: 10:00 AM Eastern Standard Time

Duration: 1 hour

Summary

The ability to predict the pharmacokinetic and toxicological properties of a drug early in the development process can materially reduce the likelihood of clinical failure, and subsequently the total cost of development. As such, there is a substantial and accelerating drive to identify model systems that more accurately predict human physiological responses to xenobiotics.

To fill the obvious gap in the drug development process, Visikol presents the HUREL Micro Liver model system. HUREL Micro Livers consist of cryopreserved primary hepatocytes co-cultured with a stromal fibroblast cell line, which aids in the hepatocytes’ maintenance of more in vivo-like characteristics compared to traditional hepatic mono-cultures, including long term viability and retention of cytochrome P450 isozyme activity. Combining the HUREL Micro Liver model system with Agilent’s impedance-based, label-free, xCELLigence real-time cell analysis (RTCA) technology allows for continuous monitoring of toxicity and ensures that no meaningful time points are missed.

In this webinar, Dr. Amir Wahba, senior principal scientist at Visikol Inc. will illustrate how real-time data enables identification of optimal treatment times and data collection, in addition to the evaluation of cytotoxicity onset and kinetics.

Webinar topics include:

  • The challenge of drug-induced hepatoxicity
  • Development of predictive in vitro model systems
  • The combination of Visikol’s HUREL and Agilent’s xCELLigence Technology

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. 

Speakers

Amir Wahba, PhDAmir Wahba, PhD
Senior Principal Scientist
Visikol Inc.

Dr. Amir Wahba is a senior principal scientist at Visikol Inc. In his current role, he leads the bioanalytical assay development in collaboration with the in vitro and the pharmacology teams utilizing LC-MS/MS. Dr. Wahba holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacognosy from the University of Mississippi, emphasizing the chemistry of natural products. During his graduate work, Dr. Wahba focused on discovering and developing anti-cancer and anti-malarial drug leads from the marine environment. He pioneered the structure elucidation of bioactive natural products and the development of in vitro platforms for the active compound’s evaluation. Following his postdoctoral training on carbohydrate synthesis at LSU, Dr. Wahba expanded his drug discovery skills to include nanotechnology, molecular biology, gene therapy, and metabolomic analysis by contributing to multidisciplinary projects in academia and industry. Before joining Visikol, Dr. Wahba served as a senior research associate at the Department of Neurosurgery at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, where he established an adenosine-based epigenetic drug discovery platform based on manipulating adenosine metabolism through small molecules and gene-based intervention for epilepsy and brain cancer treatment. Furthermore, he established the protein-protein interaction network of adenosine kinase utilizing mass spectrometry proteomics and metabolomics approaches to help us understand the consequence of adenosine kinase manipulation on cancer metabolism.

The post Real-Time Hepatoxicity Screening in HUREL Micro Liver Models first appeared on Visikol.]]> Visikol’s 2022 Year In Review https://visikol.com/blog/2022/12/19/visikols-2022-year-in-review/ Mon, 19 Dec 2022 13:44:10 +0000 https://visikol.com/?p=18528

This year has been one of growth and milestones for Visikol. Our team has worked so hard this year – launching new assays, presenting at conferences, and more!

March 2022

In March Visikol announced a partnership with Molecular Instruments to Offer Hybridization Chain Reaction (HCR)-RNA FISH Multiplex Tissue Imaging Services. This service is available to all Visikol’s clients as a standalone service, or in combination with Visikol’s in-house multiplex IHC approach. Read more on the partnership here.

40X imaging of B-actin RNA with HCR RNA-FISH (red) and DAPI (blue)
Megan SOT

In March a few members of the Visikol team attended the SOT 2022 conference in San Diego and Megan Casco, Ph.D. gave 2 presentations. Read the recap here!

April 2022

Visikol and Indica Labs partnered on a poster titled ‘Cytometric Analysis of Immune Cell Populations in Clinical Tumor Biopsy Tissue Microarrays for Immuno-oncology’ that Indica Labs presented on at AACR. See the poster here.

AACR Poster

Visikol announced an agreement with Vivesto to conduct research to evaluate the cellular effects of new and existing anti-cancer drug formulations developed using Vivesto’s proprietary XR-17™ and XR-18 technologies. Read more on the agreement here.

The BICO Group joined 40 other institutions in the North America 3R’s initiative, with the goal of increasing the adoption of MPS technologies that could potentially replace or reduce some animal models that are used for drug development. MPS includes tissue models such as spheroids, organoids, and organs-on-chips. This mission directly ties to the work of several of the BICO Group Companies, especially those within the bioprinting business area like CELLINK, MatTek, Advanced Biomatrix  and Visikol.

The North American 3Rs Collaborative (NA3RsC) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance science, innovation, and research animal welfare through collaborative 3Rs efforts (refine, reduce, and replace). The group’s initiatives are focused on implementing efforts pertaining to the 3R principle. A principle with ample evidence of effectiveness, potential for big impact, and ultimately, methods that are realistic considering the status quo and current research trends.

June 2022

Visikol launched a novel BBB assay in June. The blood brain barrier (BBB) provides cerebral vasculature which offers a layer of protection for maintaining homeostasis to neuronal function within the brain. Many therapeutics have issues when attempting to cross this complex barrier, which is why it is so vital to have a working model outside of the human body.

July 2022

Visikol expanded its 11,0000 sq ft Hampton, NJ facility through the addition of lab space and office to meet the growing demand from its clients and customers. See the festivities and read more here.

September 2022

HUREL 1 Year Anniversary

In September Visikol celebrated HUREL’s one-year anniversary. Read Visikol CEO Michael Johnson, PhD.’s remarks here.

October 2022

In October Visikol announced the addition of Imaging Mass Cytometry Services to their Multiplex Imaging offerings through a partnership with Standard BioTools. Read the announcement here.

It wasn’t all hard work though, the Visikol team made sure to make time for team building and fun throughout the year!

The post Visikol’s 2022 Year In Review first appeared on Visikol.]]> Visikol CEO To Speak at 3rd International Conference Series on 3R’s Research & Progress https://visikol.com/blog/2022/10/25/visikol-ceo-to-speak-at-3rd-international-conference-series-on-3rs-research-progress/ Tue, 25 Oct 2022 15:42:17 +0000 https://visikol.com/?p=18630
Michael Johnson Speaker Profile

Visikol CEO Michael Johnson, Ph.D., will be speaking at The 3rd International Conference Series on 3R’s Research & Progress – Advances in Animal Models and Cutting-Edge Research in Alternatives

Dr. Johnson’s talk will be on “Choosing the Right Liver In Vitro Model” and can be watched on Friday, November 18, 2022.

The post Visikol CEO To Speak at 3rd International Conference Series on 3R’s Research & Progress first appeared on Visikol.]]> Visikol’s Expansion Ribbon Cutting https://visikol.com/blog/2022/08/01/visikols-expansion-ribbon-cutting/ Mon, 01 Aug 2022 19:23:38 +0000 https://visikol.com/?p=18091

On Thursday, July 28, 2022 Visikol hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate its expanded lab and office space

Visikol has expanded its 11,0000 sq ft Hampton, NJ facility through the addition of lab space and office to meet the growing demand from its clients and customers. Visikol originally spun out from Rutgers University in 2016 and over the last 6 years has been growing rapidly as a provider of advanced drug discovery and development services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Today, Visikol counts the top 20 pharmaceutical companies as clients and has been instrumental in dozens of drug discovery and development programs.

Visikol’s new space is adjacent to its current space within the Shelbourne Building, and allows Visikol to greatly grow its current footprint while keeping its team all under the same roof. Over the last two years, Visikol’s business growth has greatly accelerated as its advanced tissue imaging and advanced cell culture services have garnered widespread adoption. In particular, Visikol has developed a multiplex tissue imaging approach which has become a go-to tool for researchers developing immuno-oncology therapeutics and working to understand the immune systems role in the tumor micro-environment.  These services have allowed pharmaceutical and biotech companies to address questions that they could otherwise not answer and also to accelerate their discovery and development processes.

Visikol hosted a ribbon cutting and BBQ to celebrate this new space. Guests included Hunterdon County Commissioner Susan Soloway and Mark Saluk.

  • Grand Opening Ribbon
  • Michael Giving Speech
  • Michael and Tom cutting ribbon
  • CEO Michael Johnson, PhD and CSO Tom Villani, PhD with Susan Soloway, Hunterdon County Commissioner
  • CEO Michael Johnson, PhD and CSO Tom Villani, PhD with Susan Soloway, Hunterdon County Commissioner and Mark Saluk
  • Tom and Michael Cut Visikol Cake
  • Visikol Cake Topper
The post Visikol’s Expansion Ribbon Cutting first appeared on Visikol.]]> Visikol to Expand Facility to Meet Growing Demand https://visikol.com/blog/2022/07/28/visikol-to-expand-facility-to-meet-growing-demand/ Thu, 28 Jul 2022 13:02:11 +0000 https://visikol.com/?p=18047

Hampton, NJ – Visikol has announced today that it has expanded its Hampton, NJ facility 11,000 sq ft through the addition of lab space and office space to meet the growing demand from its clients and customers. Visikol originally spun out from Rutgers University in 2016 and over the last six years has been growing rapidly as a provider of advanced drug discovery and development services to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. Today, Visikol counts the top 20 pharmaceutical companies as clients and has been instrumental in dozens of drug discovery and development programs.

The space that Visikol has added is adjacent to its current space within the Shelbourne Building and allows Visikol to greatly grow its current footprint while keeping its team all under the same roof. Over the last two years, Visikol’s business growth has greatly accelerated as its advanced tissue imaging and advanced cell culture services have garnered widespread adoption. In particular, Visikol has developed a multiplex tissue imaging approach which has become a go-to tool for researchers developing immuno-oncology therapeutics and working to understand the immune systems role in the tumor micro-environment.  These services have allowed pharmaceutical and biotech companies to address questions that they could otherwise not answer and also to accelerate their discovery and development processes.

“It has been amazing to see Visikol grow from a small closet at Rutgers into a leading contract research services company that is shaping the way that research is conducted. This additional space will allow us to better serve the needs of our clients and to continually expand the breadth and depth of our contract research services offering,” described Visikol CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Michael Johnson.

The post Visikol to Expand Facility to Meet Growing Demand first appeared on Visikol.]]> Visikol To Exhibit and Present at 2022 SOT https://visikol.com/blog/2022/02/16/visikol-2022-sot/ Wed, 16 Feb 2022 14:00:08 +0000 https://visikol.com/?p=16428
SOT

Visikol to Exhibit and Present at
2022 SOT Annual Meeting in San Diego

Visit Visikol at booth 2018 at the 2022 SOT Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Scheduled Talks:

HUREL Micro Livers for DMPK Studies
March 28, 2022
10:30AM-11:30AM
RM 23A

Session Description:
HUREL Micro Livers are primary hepatocyte co-culture models that are capable of maintaining metabolic and phenotypic stability for up to two months. These models have appeared in over 50 publications and are ideal for evaluating low clearance compounds. 

Precision Cut Liver Slices for use in NASH and DILI Studies
March 29, 2022
09:00 AM-10:00 AM
RM 23A

Session Description:
Visikol has developed a precision cut liver slice model and assay using human tissues to simulate NASH disease progression. The NASH PCLS assay can be executed using CCL4 mice, F0-F1 human livers with TGF-B stimulation or F3-F4 diseased livers. 

The post Visikol To Exhibit and Present at 2022 SOT first appeared on Visikol.]]> Visikol to Present at the 5th Annual Drug Discovery & Development Conference https://visikol.com/blog/2022/02/14/drug-develppment-conference/ Mon, 14 Feb 2022 14:27:40 +0000 https://visikol.com/?p=16408

Labroots Drug Discovery & Development 2022

DrugDiscoveryEvent

Labroots and the Drug Discovery planning committee are pleased to announce the 5th Annual Drug Discovery & Development Virtual Conference. Labroots will host this online-only event on February 23, 2022. The Drug Discovery planning committee will invite speakers from industry and academia to discuss key challenges, new opportunities, and recent successes in the current landscape of drug discovery and development.

Visikol CEO and Co-Founder Dr. Michael Johnson, Ph.D. will present on ‘Identifying the Ideal In Vitro Liver Model for Various Research Applications’

The post Visikol to Present at the 5th Annual Drug Discovery & Development Conference first appeared on Visikol.]]> Visikol to present at SELECTBIO’s December 2021 Conference https://visikol.com/blog/2021/11/08/visikol-selectbio/ Mon, 08 Nov 2021 13:00:20 +0000 https://visikol.com/?p=16031

Visikol’s Director of Drug Discovery, Peter Worthington Ph.D.,
to Present at
SELECTBIO’s 3D-Cell Culture, Organoids, and Organs-on-Chips Conference

Balancing Cost, Throughput and In Vivo Relevancy for In Vitro Liver Studies

Wednesday, 15 December 2021 at 14:00

While we can generate ever more complex advanced cell culture models for use in our in vitro programs, not all research questions require this level of complexity. Through this presentation, Dr. Worthington will discuss how to balance cost, throughput and in vivo relevancy in the context of drug induced liver injury (DILI) and modeling liver disease (NASH, NAFLD). The presentation will review the use cases and applications for 2D cell culture models, 3D spheroid models and ex vivo precision cut tissue slice model

Peter WorthingtonPeter Worthington Ph.D., Director of Drug Discovery, Visikol

Dr. Worthington is the Director of Drug Discovery at Visikol where he oversees the companies advanced cell culture assays and models. Through his time at Visikol, Dr. Worthington has developed several novel 3D cell culture assays and models which the company now leverages to help its clients accelerate their drug discovery and development programs.

The post Visikol to present at SELECTBIO’s December 2021 Conference first appeared on Visikol.]]>