



In Vivo Research Experts, Partners in Drug Discovery
Plato BioPharma, Inc. provides collaborative preclinical study design to support project goals through the systematic development, validation and application of preclinical disease model and assay systems within core therapeutic areas.
Recent Posts
Plato BioPharma Inc. (PBI) Founder and CEO, Dr. Craig F. Plato, announced the co-authorship of a research paper appearing in the 12 March, 2014 issue of Science Translational Medicine. The paper, titled “Intestinal Inhibition of the Na+/H+Exchanger 3 Prevents Cardiorenal Damage in Rats and Inhibits Na+ Uptake in Humans” describes the effects of tenapanor, a compound that reduces the absorption of dietary sodium in the GI tract. Ardelyx, a Fremont-based biotechnology company, and their pharmaceutical…
Contractile reserve decreases with advancing age and chronic isoproterenol (ISO) administration is a well-characterized model of cardiac hypertrophy known to impair cardiovascular function. This study evaluated whether nonsenescent, mature adult rats are more susceptible to detrimental effects of chronic ISO administration than younger adult rats. Rats received daily injections of ISO (0.1 mg/kg sc) or vehicle for 3 wk. ISO induced a greater impairment in contractile reserve in mature adult ISO-treated (MA-ISO) than in young…
Stress signaling in the myocardium results in enhanced expression of embryonic β-myosin heavy chain (β-MyHC) and reduced expression of adult α-myosin heavy chain (α-MyHC), with the net outcome of diminished myofibrillar ATPase activity and impaired contractility. Pharmacological approaches aimed at preventing this myosin isoform “switch” could provide therapeutic benefit to patients with heart failure. Myosin isoform protein expression is typically quantified using gel electrophoresis methods, which are time-consuming and prone to variability. Here we describe…