In Vivo Services

Rodents can be used to study the effect of the microbiome on the efficacy, excretion rate, and bioavailability of products, as well as to understand how the products interact with the different microbes of the gut microbiome. It can be of interest to identify the specific microorganisms that appear to be affected by the ingestion of a product, or the dependence of specific changes to the microbiome for a specific effect on the host.

Pellets or biopsies can be collected from rodent models and the microbiome profiled using the next-generation sequencing services including amplicon sequencing of the 16S and ITS sequences or shotgun metagenomic sequencing for more detailed profiling of the taxonomic and functional potential of the microbiome. Please see our different sequencing services for more details.

Most products that are developed to target the human body, drugs as well as food ingredients, are ingested orally and arrive in the gastrointestinal system where they are absorbed and later excreted. As a consequence, the products come into close contact with the gut microbiome, which possesses the ability to affect both the bioconversion, breakdown, absorption, and excretion rate of the products. It is increasingly recognized that the composition of the gut microbiome is important for the bioavailability of a long range of commonly used drugs and food ingredients. Particularly for their role in varying drug responses between individuals, the microbiome is increasingly being studied in both preclinical and clinical studies of new drugs.

Diet is one of the main factors shaping the gut microbiota and, thereby influencing the relationship between the gut microbiome and the host. Microbial activities influence the host and microbiome function and composition is important for human metabolism, as well as the balance between health and disease. Therefore, new food products are increasingly designed to consider how they affect commensal bacteria, some by directly feeding the bacteria called prebiotics.

The gut microbiota is highly diverse and the different microbes have different feeding requirements. Food components can be developed to promote the biodiversity in the microbiota or to promote the growth or performance of specific organisms. In vivo studies can help to understand how new products affect the microbiome and if the desired effects on the microbiome are archived.