VIVALTES
Assessment of Compunds without Regulatory Animal Testings

The biotechnology sector is currently evaluating various techniques that could reduce animal sacrifice or products of animal sacrifice. On several occasions, these new techniques offer more reproducibility and control parameters than conventional methods that use animals for testing. It goes without saying that avoidance of animal sacrifice in scientific research subsequently enhances the chances of ethical approvals. Having the vision to reduce the cost and burden of animal testing by utilising C. elegans nematodes as a standard Tier 1 alternative for animal testing is Vivaltes B.V.

Vivaltes was founded by Dr Marjolein Wildwater and Dr Gerrit Keizer in 2016 as a result of an NC3R-funded research project. The research aimed to reduce the use of animals while carrying out toxicological and medical studies by offering C. elegans wet-lab testings. Vivaltes has since then grown into an innovative and successful company that consists of an enthusiastic team that shares the same vision of reducing animal testing. With strong roots in the scientific community, Vivaltes has closely partnered with several academic institutions such as the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht and Utrecht University and won funding for numerous projects to develop their data science solutions. Apart from reducing animal testing, the company selects the most promising compounds for product development by generating bespoke solutions. Vivaltes profoundly understands the effects of its client’s compounds and helps them improve their drug and design processes. Extracting the most relevant data from the wealth of knowledge within scientific literature using data science, the company integrates the most effective strategies and technologies to develop solutions that offer high drug efficacy and reliability. Vivaltes gives utmost importance to authenticity and transparent communication, and it similarly delivers its product development service.

Vivaltes combines data science and wet-lab testing with the non-mammalian organism Caenorhabditis elegans to evaluate the adverse or positive effects of the compounds on human health. The company offers analytical services of food and animal feed, chemicals, active plant ingredients, and pharmaceuticals.

The firm’s systems allow the analysis of active compounds and substances with unknown, or variable or complex reaction products and biological matters (UVCBs). Its wet-lab portfolio includes neurotoxicity, oxidative stress, fat accumulation, associative learning, energy levels, and autophagy. Vivaltes’ data science portfolio consists of evolutionary cross-species conservation mapping, phenomics, and pathway mapping. The company provides ethical alternatives for regulatory animal research and reduces, replaces, or refines animal testing. Vivaltes’ strategies allow its clients to conduct pre-screening of compounds and evaluate health activities, toxicities, and synergism between the compounds to discover how each compound influences a body. The company assists with selecting the most promising compounds that enhance the efficacy of the product development phase.

Using data science, Vivaltes goes the extra mile in laboratory testing and extracts phenotypes from scientific literature and internal reports that identify the involved mode of actions. Using this technique, it is able to successfully predict expected phenotypes for new test methods and enable more focused confirmatory testings. Vivaltes is currently developing a data platform that charts the health effects of herbs and their compounds, including their biological mechanism. This database will assist agriculture companies to develop new and improved health-beneficial products for general public. In collaboration with industrial and academic partners, Vivaltes is also developing an online database of physiochemical and pharmacokinetic properties of chemicals. This data bank will enable its clients to conduct reliable testing and quantitative in-vitro to in-vitro extrapolations (QIVIVE). With such innovative solutions and partnerships, it is evident that Vivaltes is on route to transforming the landscape of the global life sciences ecosystem