November 13, 2025
As one of the nation’s leading GLP toxicology partners and the largest provider of NHP subjects in North America, Envol Biomedical is heading to the 2025 American College of Toxicology (ACT) Annual Meeting in Phoenix with a major scientific milestone to announce. Next week, Jacob McDonald, PhD, and Dr. Reinier Espinosa will present groundbreaking work developed by Envol Biomedical in collaboration with Joanneum Research Health and Endpoint Preclinical—introducing an entirely new era of CNS sampling and drug-delivery evaluation in non-human primates.
This session, centered on novel approaches to drug delivery and non-terminal CNS serial sampling in NHPs, marks the first-ever public presentation of cerebral open flow microperfusion (COFM) successfully implemented in primates. This technique has long been limited to rodents. Envol and Joanneum Research have now advanced it into a higher-order species—opening a new pathway for sponsors seeking real-time, in situ assessment of blood-brain barrier penetration and CNS pharmacology with unprecedented precision.
The First Demonstration of COFM in NHPs
Envol Biomedical, working directly with Joanneum Research Health (developers of the COFM technology), has established a fully validated capability to sample interstitial fluid directly from the primate brain parenchyma. This technique allows researchers to:
- Collect interstitial fluid continuously over time
- Evaluate CNS drug penetration and distribution
- Detect subtle pharmacokinetic changes that cannot be observed through CSF or plasma alone
- Generate translationally relevant datasets that more closely reflect human neuropharmacology
For drug developers working in CNS therapeutics, neurodegeneration, pain, psychiatric indications, gene therapy, or intrathecal biologics, this represents a significant scientific breakthrough.
“This will be the first time anyone has ever presented COFM data generated in a non-human primate,” said McDonald. “It has taken a large, coordinated effort between our surgical team, Joanneum Research, and Endpoint Preclinical—and we’re proud to finally share it with the field.”
Expanding Access to Serial CNS Sampling and Long-Term CSF Collection
Alongside the COFM debut, the presentation will also highlight Envol’s rapidly growing CNS toolkit, including:
Optimized Long-Term Implanted Intrathecal Catheters
In collaboration with Endpoint Preclinical, Envol has been evaluating and refining implanted intrathecal catheter systems that allow for:
- Long-term, serial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection
- Reliable sampling without repeated cisterna magna puncture
- Improved animal welfare and reduced invasiveness
- Better temporal resolution for PK/PD and biomarker studies
While Envol still performs cisterna magna collection routinely, this long-term catheter approach gives sponsors an option for extended serial sampling across days or weeks—ideal for CNS biologics, gene therapy vectors, and small molecules requiring sustained CNS monitoring.
Novel CNS Drug Delivery Techniques
The presentation will also include updates on advanced drug delivery strategies Envol and Endpoint have refined over the past year, including:
- Intrathecal administration
- Intracisternal delivery
- Direct brain infusion approaches
These techniques complement Envol’s expanding imaging, surgery, and molecular biology capabilities, giving CNS-focused sponsors a complete, end-to-end preclinical pathway.
Why ACT Is the Ideal Venue
ACT brings together drug developers whose programs are already far enough along to require higher-order translation. As McDonald notes:
“These are the people who must understand whether their drugs are hitting the right CNS targets, whether they’re safe, and whether they behave the way they need them to. The ACT audience is serious about drug development—and they’re exactly the partners who can benefit from these new capabilities.”
For any sponsor working in CNS drug development, neuropharmacology, neurotoxicology, or blood-brain barrier challenges, this is a session not to miss.
Who Should Attend?
This presentation is ideal for:
- Drug developers advancing CNS-focused candidates
- Toxicologists evaluating CNS penetration
- Neuroscience teams preparing IND-enabling packages
- Sponsors designing studies in primates for PK/PD, gene therapy, or biologics
- Anyone needing direct, serial access to the primate CNS
If your program touches the central nervous system—and especially if you require NHP models—this session will offer insights unavailable anywhere else in the world.
Meet the Envol Team at ACT Whether you’d like to speak before or after the presentation, ask questions about your CNS program, or discuss other GLP capabilities, the Envol Biomedical team will be available throughout the meeting.