Why C. elegans?

A transformative in vivo model with diverse advantages in human health discovery

The nematode worm, C. elegans, offers diverse advantages for research discovery in human health applications. C. elegans share a high degree of gene conservation with humans, with several comparative signalling pathways and processes.

They are small (< 1mm) whole organisms with a short lifecycle, sharing a proportion of complexity to mammals, and are amenable to transgenic studies. When compared to rodents, they offer cost efficient, fast, more ethical primary stage testing for your project.

Advantages of C. elegans as a model organism:

Research Relevance

Established whole organism model for research testing, screening, and disease with consistent physiology, compared to variable in vitro cells.

Cost

Obtain multi-end point data at a fraction of the cost of comparable rodent studies.

Ethics

No regulatory constraints, 3R compliant and more ethical to use than more sentient mammals.

Our Technology

Our patented novel VivoScan™ and WormGazer™ technology generate rich, customisable, multi-faceted healthspan data in a natural environment

Speed

Get results in weeks rather than months. Much faster than comparable rodent studies, or tests in multiple in vitro cell types, or using organoids.

Our Leading Expertise

Our world-class team of multidisciplinary C. elegans experts, holding 80+ years joint experience, ensure the best study design and analysis for your project.

High gene conservation with humans ( > 80% homologous genes)
Small size with a short lifecycle for speed and cost efficiency
Whole organism with muscle, intestines, epidermis, nervous and reproductive systems
Early phase in vivo testing model for invaluable prescreening (reduces and informs mammalian testing need)
Less space, larger populations and faster experiments than rodents
Ethical and sustainable to use compared to more sentient mammals
No regulatory restrictions, 3R compliant
High degree of experimental control
Transparent body for easy live visualisation of organs, fluorescent tags and data collection
Exceptional natural model for test interventions on ageing and longevity

De-risk your move from in vitro testing to mammals with confidence

For complex diseases and conditions involving multiple organs and biological processes, C. elegans offer distinct advantages to in vitro cell studies. Their use as a model also proffers complementary data, to validate and enrich in vitro findings.

C. elegans provide an excellent natural model for ageing and longevity studies, as opposed to accelerated ageing model alternatives. They start to age within 1 week of their 2-3 week lifespan. In contrast, primary cell lines can be limited as a model for ageing, due to the huge variability in the biological age of individual cells. Mammalian models age relatively slowly and require substantial upkeep, so are less time- and cost-efficient.

C. elegans‘ short lifecycle also makes it particularly suited to Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity (DART) studies and longevity studies.

Established and relevant research model

Track record of relevance to disease including neurodegeneration, diabetes, developmental biology and metabolism
Many human disease orthologs and amenability to modification
Verified use as a natural ageing model
Valuable application in drug discovery candidate screening
Established use in nutritional studies and bioactive ingredients testing
Intrinsic host-microbe interaction, so can easily be raised germ-free
Easy transgenic expression for models of human diseases
Existing mutant and transgenic strains available for research