NEW YORK, NY, December 25, 2025 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Ace Therapeutics announced the commercial launch of its translational mature schizophrenia animal model R&D platform, a set of preclinical capabilities to accelerate understanding of the neurobiological basis and expedite discovery of therapeutic targets for this chronic and devastating neuropsychiatric disease.

Preclinical animal models remain indispensable in schizophrenia research due to their ability to monitor the progression of disease more rapidly, the ability to investigate structural and molecular changes during pathogenesis, and to explore candidate therapeutics.

To address the diverse needs of schizophrenia research, Ace Therapeutics has built more than 20 distinct schizophrenia animal models based on four core induction methods: developmental intervention, drug induction, brain lesion, and genetic manipulation. These models are developed by leveraging cutting-edge technical approaches, including genetic manipulation for protein expression modulation, neurotransmitter regulation, environmental factor intervention, prenatal immune activation, selective breeding, and electrical stimulation/lesioning for brain circuit modification.

A number of key models offered by the platform have demonstrated strong relevance to human schizophrenia pathophysiology, with detailed characteristics as follows:

• Ketamine-induced model: As an NMDA receptor antagonist (a PCP derivative), ketamine elicits both positive (perceptual changes, delusions) and negative (blunted affect, emotional withdrawal) symptoms in experimental animals. Its mechanism is linked to NMDAR hypofunction, which can explain cortical network synchronization abnormalities and principal cell disinhibition via weakened GABAergic interneuron excitation.

• Dizocilpine (MK-801)-induced model: A noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist with higher inhibitory potency than ketamine and PCP, MK-801 mimics schizophrenia's positive and negative symptoms as well as specific cognitive deficits (behavioral inflexibility, impaired spatial memory, social withdrawal). It disrupts glutamatergic signaling, alters dopamine system activity (elevated dopamine release, D₂ receptor hypersensitivity), impairs GABA system function, and affects synaptic plasticity alongside inflammatory/immune factor abnormalities.

• Genetic knockout models: A series of gene-edited models are also available, including DISC-1, Neuregulin1/ErbB4, Dysbindin, and Reelin knockout models. For example, DISC-1 knockout models show impaired T-maze performance (and spatial working memory deficits in specific female mutants) alongside reduced brain volume and enlarged lateral ventricles in most strains; Dysbindin knockout models exhibit altered T-maze task acquisition, impaired spatial reference memory, and hyperexcitability of PFC pyramidal neurons.

To ensure customized and precise service delivery, Ace Therapeutics requires customers to confirm key project details in advance, including model species (rat, mouse, or other species), animal weight/age specifications, gender requirements, specific model construction plans, as well as to provide experimental materials (therapeutic drugs) and detailed experimental protocols (animal grouping, drug dosage, and treatment duration).

Ace Therapeutics' schizophrenia animal model services are designed to provide end-to-end support from solution customization to final report delivery, empowering research teams to deepen their understanding of schizophrenia's neurobiological mechanisms and accelerate the development of new therapies. Moreover, Ace Therapeutics' psychiatry CRO service list is continuously updated and improved, interested parties are encouraged to contact its team via email or phone for the latest information and personalized inquiries.

About Ace Therapeutics
Ace Therapeutics focuses on providing professional preclinical research platforms and customized services for neuropsychiatric disorder drug development, with a commitment to supporting global research institutions and pharmaceutical enterprises in advancing innovative therapeutic solutions for complex mental health conditions.

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