GE Healthcare and MDS Pharma Services launch automated in vitro micronucleus assay to predict genotoxicity in cells
Chalfont St Giles, UK and Philadelphia, United States - May 16, 2006 – General Electric and MDS Pharma Services announced today the availability of a new, automated in vitro micronucleus assay that incorporates GE Healthcare's IN Cell 1000 and IN Cell 3000 high content analysis platforms. This automated imaging assay enables an accurate, early assessment of the potential genotoxicity of novel drug candidates in early drug discovery and development.
The assay protocol developed by MDS Pharma Services and GE Healthcare provides enhanced sensitivity and concurrent toxicity data to help more accurately interpret micronuclei formation. The fully automated assay format allows for faster data collection and analysis, in addition to providing greater research flexibility with respect to customization of additional multiplexed end-points.
“There are so many elements critical to effective drug development. Our IN Cell platform demonstrates the value of sub-cellular assay technology in progressing lead compounds through primary and secondary screening,” says Ger Brophy, general manager of Discovery Sciences at GE Healthcare. “The collaboration with MDS Pharma Services illustrates the value of these technologies for genotoxicity analysis. We have focused on developing more efficient automated micronuclei assays because our customers have expressed a strong interest in improving on current methods. The value of getting this type of data from cellular analysis systems will play out in improved efficiencies throughout the drug development process.”
“ MDS Pharma Services is committed to providing effective discovery screening and profiling solutions tailored to the specific needs of our pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients,” says David Spaight, President, MDS Pharma Services. “We are proud to be able to offer our clients a much-needed automated assay for genotoxicity assessment using GE Healthcare's IN Cell 1000 platform. This robust assay for genotoxicity and cytotoxicity can also be formatted to evaluate other toxicity end-points (apoptosis, necrosis). We anticipate that this will be our standard cell-based assay for early toxicity evaluation. We certainly look forward to continuing our collaboration with GE Healthcare on other assay development projects.”
The assay is performed in 96-well plates and requires a relatively small amount of compound. The assay has been validated with genotoxic compounds known to cause chromosomal damage (clastogen/aneugens), with or without in vitro metabolic activation, and can be formatted for automated moderate throughput screening (approximately 2304 wells per day) or for custom analysis on smaller sample numbers. This in vitro micronucleus assay is part of a broad panel of drug discovery safety assessments offered by MDS Pharma Services pharmacology division.
MDS Pharma Services pharmacology division offers an extensive selection of biochemical, cellular, tissue, organ and animal assays used in profiling a compound's efficacy, specificity, selectivity and toxicity. Additional pharmacology services include electrophysiology testing for Cardiac Safety assessment, early ADME studies for determination of drug-drug interactions. GLP toxicology services are offered through the drug safety assessment division.
About MDS Pharma Services
MDS Pharma Services offers a full spectrum of resources to meet the drug discovery and development needs of the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. With numerous facilities strategically located around the world, the company applies advanced scientific and technological expertise to each stage of the drug discovery and development process – Early Stage: lead optimization, pre-IND research, pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical development, early clinical research (bioequivalence, phases I-IIa) and bioanalysis; and Late Stage: global clinical development (phases IIb-IV) and central lab. For more information, visit MDS Pharma Services' Web site at www.mdsps.com .
MDS Pharma Services is an integral part of MDS Inc. (TSX: MDS; NYSE: MDZ). MDS Inc. has more than 8,800 highly skilled people in 27 countries. We provide a diverse range of superior products and services to increase our customers' speed, precision and productivity in the drug development and disease diagnosis processes. We are a global, values-driven life sciences company, recognized for our reliability and collaborative relationships as we help create better outcomes in the treatment of disease. Find out more at www.mdsinc.com or by calling 1-800-MDS-7222, 24 hours a day.
About GE Healthcare
GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, performance improvement, drug discovery, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies is helping clinicians around the world re-imagine new ways to predict, diagnose, inform and treat disease, so their patients can live their lives to the fullest.
GE Healthcare's broad range of products and services enable healthcare providers to better diagnose and treat cancer, heart disease, neurological diseases, and other conditions earlier. Our vision for the future is to enable a new "early health" model of care focused on earlier diagnosis, pre-symptomatic disease detection and disease prevention. Headquartered in the United Kingdom , GE Healthcare is a $15 billion unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employs more than 43,000 people committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.
Media Contacts
GE Healthcare, Americas
Kristin Silady
+1 732 457 8149
Kristin.silady@ge.com
MDS Pharma Services
Charlene Ann McGrady
Communications Director
Phone: 610-239-7900, ext 231
Fax: 484-322-1470
