We routinely run MTD studies in both rats and mice. These short-term studies (usually 7 days) are used to determine the highest dose at which a compound can be administered without side effects or overt toxicity.
MTD studies are usually run prior to in vivo efficacy testing, to help select doses.
The need for, and design of, an MTD study depends on what is already known about the test compound and its pharmacokinetics.
Animals are administered test compounds at a range of doses and one or more dosing frequencies (in addition to standard frequencies, Hooke offers continuous administration using ALZET implantable osmotic pumps).
Animals are observed for side effects. Blood samples can be taken during treatment, and tissues are typically collected at the end of the study for analysis.
