Barcelona (Spain), June 2009.- Bio-tech firm Advancell, leader in nano-medicine research and in cellular methods for in-vitro research, deals with unresolved needs in health and wellbeing through its products and services. The firm recently presented in London, a new cellular reagent called Isocyp-ToxTM, an unique and innovative product designed to predict hepatic toxicity in pharmaceuticals.
The majority of foreign substances in the organism are processed by the liver, the organ charged with detoxifying these substances and acting as a filter. Isocyp-ToxTM is truly revolutionary for pharmaceutical companies, by solving problems of hepatic toxicity at a very early stage in drug production and thus offering important savings in time and costs. In addition, companies have seen that 40% of all pharmaceuticals removed from the market, have been due to problems of hepatic toxicity.
Isocyp-ToxTM is a cellular reagent designed as a tool to optimize time and costs in the evaluation of hepatoxicity of components. Calculations indicate that with this method as an alternative to in-vitro testing currently used, time can be reduced by 80%, whilst cost savings of approximately 50% are estimated.
London was selected by Advancell for the presentation, as it is home to the largest research market in Europe. In addition to various world experts, the presentation was attended by: Dr. José Vicente Castell, Director General of the Research Foundation Hospital La Fe Valencia and specialist in hepatic metabolism, Albert P. Li from California and President of In-Vitro ADMET Laboratories and Duane B. Lakings, President of In-Vitro Drug Safety Evaluation Consulting. The launch of Isocyp-ToxTM corresponds with Advancell’s objectives to expand internationally and to continue developing the company’s Alternative Testing Unit, as defined in the strategic plan which includes the aim of launching a new reagent each year.
Isocyp-ToxTM employs a technology based on the use of an exclusive method of transport of ready-to-use live cells, via a semi-solid medium. This offers multiple advantages over a liquid medium of transport where cells deteriorate or, over transport of frozen cells which is the standard method used by the majority of biotechnology companies, but which is complicated and costly.
Isocyp-ToxTM is a “custom designed” reagent (can be adapted to the needs and methodology of the final user) and forms part of a technology platform known as Isocyp, invented by Advancell and related to the metabolism and toxicity of components. The biotechnology firm plans to use this platform to carry out future studies of toxicity in the four principal organs where there exists a previous metabolism of substances foreign to the organism; liver, lungs, kidney and skin. Advancell hopes to use this platform not only with drugs, but also with chemical products and cosmetics.
For Advancell, the great revolution for this radical reagent is that today, it is one of the few that guarantees results, speed, and cost savings for the market launch of totally safe drugs. There is a great shortage of in-vitro reagents capable of analysis of hepatic toxicity in this way.
This signifies a large potential market that Advancell hopes to grow on an international scale in the near future (the reagent is currently in validation process with various well-known national and international pharmaceutical companies). Forecast sales are more than 1 million Euros per year and initial distribution throughout Europe will be handled by the French company, Tebu-Bio.
About Advancell (www.advancell.net)
Advancell is a biotechnology company with unique proprietary technology and continual innovation specialised in the field of unresolved needs in health and wellbeing, through the application of efficient value-added products and services. The firm grows via discoveries in the academic environment to improve, develop and to later capitalize in the market.
The company has three divisions: Advancell Therapeutics, which concentrates its activity in development, through to clinical concept testing of innovative pharmaceuticals in the search for new applications for known molecules; Advancell Alternative Testing, which uses in-vitro methods to predict cell efficiency, security, and the mechanism of molecule development, and Advancell Nanosystems, which uses nano-medicine to treat and prevent illnesses.
The business model of Advancell allows for considerable cost reduction, lower risks and reduced time in the development of a pharmaceutical. Projects at clinical phase are centred in nano-medicines for the treatment of psoriasis (in collaboration with ISDIN), and in the development of a new orphan medicine for chronic linfocites leukaemia (in collaboration with UK firm Protherics). Ready for use reagent cells developed by Advancell Alternative Testing, are European market leaders in their class.
The company is headquartered in Parc Cientific de Barcelona and has research centres at the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Hospital La Fe in Valencia.
