Envigo

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Envigo

Industry	Life sciences Research models and services
Founded	September 2015
Headquarters	Indianapolis, IN, United States; facilities in 14+ countries
Key people	CEO: Dr. Adrian Hardy[1]  CFO: Stephen Symonds COO: Jim Harkness
Services	Research models Research services Teklad diets, bedding and enrichment
Number of employees	1,200+ (2020)

Envigo (en-VEE-go) is a privately held, contract research corporation that provides a broad range of research models and related products and services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, government, academia and other life science organizations across the globe. It's the world's largest provider of research models and diets, according to the organization's website. The company is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana and employs more than 1,200 people at 30+ locations across North America, Europe and the Middle East.^[2]

Envigo's Teklad business unit provides both high-fat and control diets mostly used in research on the impact of obesity and nutrition on disease states like diabetes, cancer and heart disease.^[3]

Many of Envigo's breeding sites have been accredited by the Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care (AAALAC) International Council including: Horst, the Netherlands (March 29, 2016),^[4] Indianapolis, IN, Livermore, CA, Boyertown and Denver, PA, St Louis, MO and others.^[5]

Acquisitions[]

Envigo acquired LabCorp's Covance Research Products business in June 2019 resulting in an organization dedicated to offering a full range of research models, diets, bedding and enrichment. Per the Washington Post article December 26, 2021 they writes "Based on the routine inspections conducted in July, officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited Envigo — an Indianapolis-based firm that breeds dogs and sells them as research animals to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries — for mistreatment of beagles and poor conditions at the facility in Cumberland, Va., about 50 miles west of Richmond". This, while LabCorp's Covance Drug Development segment acquired Envigo's nonclinical contract research services business. The companies announced the transactions will strengthen and enhance the way their respective businesses support research in the biopharmaceutical and life sciences industries. Both continue to collaborate through a multi-year, renewable supply agreement.^[6]

In December 2019, Envigo acquired Horizon Discovery's research models business unit which provides genetically engineered models from its Boyertown, Pennsylvania and St. Louis, Missouri locations. The transfer of ownership includes assets and employees. The business unit uses gene editing expertise to produce customized models with clinically relevant gene deletions, insertions and other modifications which are then used as preclinical models for human disease during drug discovery and development. The two companies announced collaboration to ensure continuity and enable all customers to access CRISPR-edited research models for screening and other applications.^[7]

Envigo products and services[]

Biological products[]

Collections of biological products from laboratory animals are raised under closely defined conditions to protect research and research animals. Models are regularly monitored and fed controlled, natural-ingredient diets to minimize lot-to-lot variation.^[8]

Contract breeding[]

Customer research programs require plan development and execution — which may include cryopreservation (embryo and sperm), genotyping and zygosity, rederivation (speed rederivation), revitalization and speed congenics.^{[9][circular reference]}

Custom antibody production[]

A multi-phased process producing monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies to enhance customer research, diagnostic or therapeutic applications. Tailored programs use the in vivo approach, in vitro production method and hybridoma development to enhance customer research, diagnostic or therapeutic applications which include ancillary services like downstream antibody and purification processes.^[10]

Full spectrum health monitoring[]

A quality assurance system to assess, design, test, report, interpret and support facility managers in the maintenance of healthy, laboratory animal populations critical to research integrity. The microbiological quality of animal models may influence animal welfare and the validity and reproducibility of research data. Microbiologists, (molecular) biologists and veterinarians perform these health surveillance services, optimally, in diagnostic laboratories certified by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).^[11]

Genetic testing[]

This includes genotyping, zygosity testing, gene expression analysis, high-throughput screening services, large-scale single nucleotide polymorphism analysis, sequencing services and storage.^[12]

Genetically engineered models and services (GEMS)[]

Customization of rodent model genetics to customer specifications through gene deletion, insertion and other modifications. GEMS provides pre-developed transgenic rodent models (gene knock-in or gene knockout) and support custom breeding, cryopreservation and recovery and rapid colony expansion.^[13]

Research model support and services[]

Studies with emphasis on animal-based research continue to trend toward research model diversity, functional genomics, gene therapy, cancer biology, aging, infectious disease, neurobiology and more. Products include, but are not limited to, aged models, ocular-ready models and pre-conditioned models (husbandry and diet specific). Services include contract breeding and maintenance, social housing solutions, cryopreservation (embryo and sperm), genotyping and zygosity, rederivation (speed rederivation), revitalization and speed congenics.^[14]

Surgically modified models[]

Teklad diet, bedding and enrichment[]

Tumor models[]

Tumor models and studies using cell line-derived xenografts (CDX) and highly characterized patient derived xenografts (PDX) for breast cancer and melanoma. Studies may also include different strains, ovariectomized models and untreated tumors. Clients may receive weekly updates and end of study samples for final report supplementation with syngeneic, tolerability and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) studies.

History[]

Envigo was created in September 2015 when Huntingdon Life Sciences, Harlan Laboratories and three subsidiaries (GFA, NDA Analytics and LSR Associates) merged. The combined organization had 3,800 employees at inception with sales approaching $500 million.^[15]

In 2019, PETA conducted an undercover investigation at Envigo's Cumberland facility. The investigation led to a PETA campaign calling for the USDA and other Envigo customers to cut ties with the company.^[16]

The company consists of two core business units: Contract Research Services (CRS) and Research Models and Services (RMS). The CRS business unit offered a range of drug development and environmental sciences services, including safety assessment, analytical, metabolism, CMC and regulatory consultancy from nine contract research facilities located in Europe, the United States and Middle East. The RMS business unit provided research models, lab animal diets and bedding and support services from 30 sites worldwide.^[17]

The company's rebranded name, Envigo, supposedly incorporated the English words enhance, enrich and vigorous.^[18] The Latin root of the word vigorous is “vita” meaning “life.”

References[]