Toxicity studies

Nagi Bioscience leverages the SydLab™ One platform and its in vivo model to deliver precise, high-throughput toxicity assessments. Our solution accelerates safety and toxicology studies providing high translational value while eliminating the ethical concerns of vertebrate testing.

The fully automated, in vivo system evaluates multiple toxicity endpoints, including reproductive, developmental, neuro-, genomic, acute, and chronic toxicity, at costs comparable to cell-based assays.

By de-risking compound selection and streamlining toxicology workflows, we enable researchers to make informed decisions early in development, accelerating the path to safer pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and environmental agents.

C. elegans: A gateway to early toxicology

Caenorhabditis elegans is a cost-effective, ethically favorable model for toxicology studies with 60-80% of its genes homologous to humans. Its rapid life cycle and high-throughput capabilities enable efficient testing of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and environmental pollutants.

The worm’s transparency allows real-time visualization of toxin effects, such as oxidative stress and neurodegeneration, providing insights into whole-organism responses. Genetic manipulability further supports the study of molecular toxicity pathways and biomarker identification.

Overall, C. elegans offers a streamlined, predictive platform for risk assessment, advancing safer compound development while reducing reliance on vertebrate models.

FDA C elegans for toxicity testing Piper hunt

In vivo safety and toxicology studies at in vitro scale.

Our standardized protocols and automated workflow ensure consistent, actionable results.

In vivo model with high translational value without ethical concerns.

Very efficient treatment conditions.

C. elegans is a soil organism, providing high value to eco-toxicity applications.

Developmental toxicity, Reproductive toxicity, Acute and Chronic toxicity, Eco-toxicity, Neuro-toxicity.


From research to results: Our approach

DART studies
  1. Synchronized populations of C. elegans (L1 larval stage) are injected into the SydLab™ One platform (day 0).
  2. The SydLab™ One platform tightly controls the liquid environment to which each worm is exposed, including the treatments to be tested.
  3. For Developmental toxicity, worms are exposed to the test compounds from day 0, while for Repro-toxicity, worms are treated to test compounds after reaching sexual maturity. 
  4. Images are acquired via time-lapse microscopy at the desired frequency.
  5. Our AI-based algorithm detects growth, reproductive and death parameters of individual worms, and provide a detailed analysis for the worm population.
  6. The experiment ends at the desired time (tipically after 5-7 days).

Readouts

  • Growth dynamics and size
  • Sexual maturity
  • Egg accumulation
  • Embryo survival
  • Larvae emergence and accumulation
  • Progeny size and growth
  • NOAEL (No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level)

Case Study: Reproductive toxicity assessment

Using Nagi Bioscience’s fully automated solution, we assessed the reproductive toxicity of the herbicide Paraquat and the cytotoxic chemotherapy drug 5-fluorouracil (5-FU).

multi-phenotypic analysis toxicity 5-FU

The SydLab™ One platform quantified the dose-dependent effects on maternal development (maximum length) and reproductive capacity (fertility, embryo survival, and larval accumulation). No-Observed-Adverse-Effect Level (NOAEL) were determined for both Paraquat and 5-FU at the end of the experiment.

In summary, Paraquat caused significant maternal adverse effects at high doses (NOAEL: 2.5 mM) and pronounced reproductive toxicity at lower doses (NOAEL: 0.16 mM). As expected, 5-FU exhibited no maternal adverse effects at the tested doses but demonstrated strong reproductive toxicity at intermediate doses (NOAEL: 50 µM).

Sara Irish

Spending two days at Nagi Bioscience was a great experience. The level of innovation and automation in their Discovery Pack experiment exceeded my expectations. The team was knowledgeable and committed to ensuring a smooth and productive experience.

Sara Irish

RC-funded PhD candidate at Alexei Maklakov's Research Lab, University of East Anglia

Karl Alex Hedin, PhD

“Their services revealed new insights and opened up exciting possibilities for exploring the potential of our strains in health applications related to healthy aging, helping us advance our research further.”

Karl Alex Hedin, PhD

Post-Doctoral Researcher, DTU Biosustain, The Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Biosustainability

Erez Aminov

We are very pleased with Nagi Bioscience. Their innovative technology has been instrumental in allowing us to gather critical scientific data quickly, providing invaluable insights that significantly advance our research in longevity.

Erez Aminov

CEO, Telomir Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

“We had a highly positive experience with Nagi’s services. Their innovative assays provided a reliable alternative to mouse studies by leveraging the short lifespan of C. elegans and the high conservation of our target from worms to human.”

Senior Manager, Translational Pharmacology, Immunic Therapeutics

Prof. Konstantinos Palikaras, PhD

By improving precision and enhancing reproducibility, SydLab™ One empower us to explore new frontiers in critical fields of medical science. We are excited to leverage this fully automated, end-to-end solution in our projects.

Prof. Konstantinos Palikaras, PhD

Group Leader of the Unit of Neurogenetics and Ageing, Laboratory of Physiology, University of Athens (NKUA)

Irina Fingerhut

Their high-throughput approach provided clear, quantifiable insights into the lifespan and functional effects of our lead combinations— critical data that helped de-risk and prioritize our therapeutic strategy.

Irina Fingerhut

Co-Founder/Sole Director, ElixIRA Pharma AG

Prof. Ellen Nollen, PhD

We have a fantastic opportunity to use this technology to generate high-throughput data, while maintaining a high resolution to uncover new insights that will drive advancements in the neurobiology of ageing.

Prof. Ellen Nollen, PhD

Group Leader of the Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology of Ageing, European Research Institute for the Biology of Ageing (ERIBA)

Prof. Timo H. J. Niedermeyer, PhD

We are thrilled to be part of Nagi’s Priority Access Program. Using SydLab™ One, we are enhancing natural product research by replacing manual C. elegans assays while delivering more detailed and reproducible results.

Prof. Timo H. J. Niedermeyer, PhD

Group Leader of the Pharmaceutical Biology Group, Freie Universität Berlin

Our commitment to you and your team

At Nagi Bioscience, we are more than just a service laboratory. We are a strategic partner dedicated to your success. Our team of experts brings 50+ years of experience, a passion for innovation, and a commitment to delivering actionable insights.

Initial Discussions:
Understanding your requirements

Send us your compounds of interest

Project kick-off:
Execute with Expertise

Report delivery:
High quality reports with actionable insights