New spinoff RDefine focuses on animal welfare

^{Translation by Diana Taborda}

The mission of RDefine, Ltd is to develop an innovative approach to the promotion of the welfare of animals in experimental research. Their solution is based on a patented technology that enables the oral administration of bioactive compounds, drugs, and health products to laboratory animals in a voluntary, non-invasive, and stress-free manner.

The spinoff also offers services in the field of redefining animal welfare practices in relation to preclinical in vivo research processes. The technology developed is quite relevant to academia, particularly in the way bioactive compounds are administered to experimental animals, and its potential clients include not only researchers but also the pharmaceutical, agri-food, chemical, biotechnology and veterinary industries.

RDefine, Ltd is the outcome of a collaboration between two researchers from the Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR) of the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra (FMUC), Sofia Viana and Flávio Reis (both UC Alumni), aimed at developing an innovative approach to animal welfare in research practice. The team, which includes researcher Sara Nunes, a UC and ESAC-IPC graduate who, along with Sofia Viana, is a lecturer at IPC's School of Health Technology, and Pedro Vieira, a fellow and PhD student at FMUC, combines interdisciplinary skills from Biomedical Sciences, Biochemistry, Pharmacy, Medicinal Chemistry and Biotechnology.

The creation of yet another spinoff within the UC, in this case with the participation of the IPC, testifies to the central role and importance of the transfer and valorisation of knowledge generated in Research, Development and Innovation (R&D+I) activities to promote economic growth, market innovation and the public interest in R&D+I activities.