Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic disorders services
What are endocrine diseases?
- Endocrine diseases are due to a dysfunction in hormone secretion from endocrine glands (thyroid, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands).
- Nutritional diseases result from an exceeded or underrun dietary imbalance.
- Finally, metabolic diseases affect the metabolism of certain elements in humans such as carbohydrates, lipids, iron, calcium, etc.
- These imbalances and dysfunctions are at the origin of many pathologies such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity.
What types of samples are used in endocrine disorder research?
In endocrine disorder research, various types of biological samples can be used, including:
Blood samples
These contain hormones, which can be analyzed to assess the functioning of the endocrine system and diagnose hormonal imbalances.
Urine samples
These can be used to measure the levels of hormones and their metabolites, which can help diagnose endocrine disorders such as diabetes and adrenal disorders.
Saliva samples
These contain hormones such as cortisol, testosterone, and progesterone, and can be used to non-invasively assess the functioning of the endocrine system.
Tissue samples
Biopsies of endocrine glands or tissues can be used to study the structure and function of the glands, and diagnose various endocrine disorders.
Stool samples
These can be used to measure the levels of certain hormones, such as the hormone secreted by the digestive tract to regulate glucose levels.
These samples can be collected from both humans and animals in order to better understand the mechanisms underlying endocrine disorders.
What types of R&D models for metabolic and endocrine disorders?
In vivo models can be used to study various endocrine disorders, including diabetes, obesity, thyroid disorders, and adrenal disorders, among others. These models provide valuable information on the physiological and metabolic changes that occur in response to endocrine imbalances and can be used to test the safety and efficacy of new treatments.
In vivo models for endocrine disorders include rodent models (e.g. mice, rats), large animal models (e.g. dogs, pigs), knockout models (gene deletion), transgenic models (gene addition/modification), and induced disease models (dietary or environmental manipulation).
Metabolomic services and metabolic profiling are also widely used methods to study and quantify metabolites and their role in the biological system.
Available types of samples
- Tissues
- Fresh tissues
- Frozen tissues (OCT and FF)
- FFPE tissues
- Healthy tissues
- Blood derivatives
- Whole blood
- PBMC
- Plasma
- Serum
- Leukapheresis
- Biofluids
- Urine
- Stool/Feces
- Saliva
Type of Collections
- Retrospective: we can look into existing biobank collections
- Prospective: we can set up clinical collection specific to a given project
Examples of experimental services and models
- In vitro and ex vivo
- Endocrine disruptor screening
- In vitro metabolic assays
- In vivo
- Diabetes of obesity mouse models
- Endocrine tumors animal models
- Hyperthyroidism mouse models
- Endocrine disruption mouse models
- Biochemicals
- Metabolites and hormones analysis
Typical deliverables
- Feasibility of availability of samples or experimental services
- Regulatory aspects (transfer authorizations, export authorizations, ethics committee agreement)
- Contracting
- Samples shipment in appropriate conditions
- Clinical data or results
- Other services (i.e. Nucleic acid extraction, quality control)
Get started with your endocrine diseases research request
Please answer the fields below to be contacted by our team of scientists
Our team will handle your endocrine disorders R&D procurement from the beginning to the end
Perform a feasibility study by looking for existing samples already in collections & ready to be transferred
Set up a clinical biological collection and preparing contracts with sources
Assist the material transfer from the source to the lab, including treatments, QA or shipping, as needed
Some examples of endocrine disorders
- Endocrine diseases are due to a dysfunction in hormone secretion from endocrine glands (thyroid, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands). These conditions can be related to endocrine dysfunction: diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, Addison's disease, acromegaly, Cushing's syndrome, Grave's disease, hypopituitarism, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), or hypogonadism.
- Nutritional diseases result from an exceeded or underrun dietary imbalance and include scurvy, rickets, kwashiorkor, marasmus, pellagra, beriberi, iron-deficiency anemia, vitamin D deficiency, iodine deficiency disorders, folate deficiency anemia.
- Finally, metabolic diseases affect the metabolism of certain elements in humans such as carbohydrates, lipids, iron, and calcium, and can lead to diseases such as Diabetes Mellitus (Type 1 and Type 2), obesity, Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), hyperlipidemia and gout.