vivoDART™
Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity Assay
What is Developmental and Reproductive Toxicity (DART)?
Developmental and reproductive toxicity (DART) testing is essential for assessing product safety and determining potential risks to human and animal development and reproductive health. Developmental toxicity studies evaluate how chemical exposures can adversely affect growth and development, while reproductive toxicity assesses an organism’s reproductive health.
vivoDART Workflow
Predictive DART-Related Endpoints
A 2022 study shows that human females and C. elegans hermaphrodites reach peak fertility at comparable life stages and exhibit broadly similar reproductive function across their lifetimes.
Data pipeline
| vivoDART Endpoints | Mammalian Equivalent Endpoints | Relevance (Phenotype Class) |
|---|---|---|
| Body Volume (and size) | Parental Body Weight (and size) |
Reductions in body size correlate with delayed parental development |
| In-Utero Embryo Count and Development | Number of Offspring and Survival Rates |
Altered progeny endpoints suggest toxicity in reproductive health |
| Motility | Apical/Survival |
Motility defects in worms correlate with survival rates |
Accelerated Timelines and Lower Costs Compared to Other Model Systems
The ~3-week lifespan of C. elegans allows results to be generated much faster than the 1+ year timelines of mammalian models. Short timelines reduce costs and accelerate product development.
Patented Microfluidic Technology and AI-Powered Data Analysis
vivoDART is powered by patented microfluidic technology that enables high-throughput toxicology testing that dramatically increases screening efficiency compared to conventional assays. Its precise microchannel design immobilizes organisms in consistent orientations, supporting automated, high-resolution imaging and more sensitive detection of subtle toxic effects.
High-resolution images are captured for each worm and analyzed by vivoVerse’s ML-powered image-analysis pipeline to automatically quantify multiparametric DART-related endpoints, enabling rapid, scalable, and objective assessment of chemical toxicity. By eliminating manual quantification, the AI-based pipeline dramatically reduces analysis time while minimizing human error and improving accuracy and reproducibility.
Key Benefits of the vivoVerse DART Assay
Scalable and Efficient
Run full toxicity studies in weeks, not months, as with mammalian models.
Ethical Alternative
Invertebrate model not subject to animal welfare regulations.
Minimal Material Needed
As little as ~1 mg of test compound is required per assay.
Serum-Free System
Our phosphate-buffered platform does not use animal-based serums.
Sealed Testing Environment
Run assays in a fully enclosed system to prevent cross-contamination.
High-Content, Multiparametric Imaging
Enables population-wide measurement of DART-related endpoints by high-content image analysis.
10-Point Dose–Response Profiling
Precise dose–response curves defining EC50, LOAEL, and sublethal effects with high confidence.
Whole Organism Assay
Whole-organism-based assay avoids limitations of in vitro studies.
Cost Effective
10x cheaper than conventional models.
Biologically Relevant Data
Achieve high concordance with mammalian outcomes, validated across large-scale studies.
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